They Call Us Dark
by ZeldinaDreamermoon
Summary: What if he'd never belonged? What if he had been born in a different time a different place? What if his real father came looking for him? What if it had all been a lie created to hide what had truly happened on that night? Read on to see it all unravel.
1. Battle of Dagorlad

**Battle of Dagorlad**

The Elves and Men were on their way. In his tower high above Mordor, Sauron stood looking out over his lands. A sigh escaped his lips. Couldn't they see that he was trying to help them? Simply because he shared a name with the fallen Maia, they believed him to be the same. What no one knew was that the Sauron who had served Morgoth once upon a time had fallen to his blade several years earlier. In the lore of their people Sauron did not translate the same as it did for other folks. While the servant of Morgoth once know as Mairon had been given the name as it meant 'the Abhorred' by the Elves. The name among his people meant 'Great Flames'.

Long had his people offered a haven for the forgotten folks – shadow or dark elves and humans who had been driven away from their homes. They had all joined with his people, the Shrāl, over the years.

A happy gurgle sounded from behind the man where he stood by the window. A small smile spread over his lips. "Hush Haryn," he said softly as he walked over to the wooden crib that held the baby. He reached down and picked the boy up. Bright green eyes looked up at him.

"Dada, dada hungy," the boy babbled.

His father chuckled softly. "Ah, is that so, bérren-ka," he said. "Well, I guess we can fix that." He carried his son over to a small table which held an assortment of food. Picking up a bottle of goat milk, he warmed the contents with a thought. "Here little one," he said as he offered the warm drink to the raven-haired child. The boy reached out with his small scaled hands to grab the bottle. Moving the bottle to his mouth, he drank the milk down greedily.

Slowly Sauron walked back to his spot by the window. He knew that he'd have to go out there. There was no way the Forgotten Ones would be able to handle this on their own. He looked down at his little boy. _'For my son and my people's safety, I'll have to fight,'_ he thought. "Do not fear my child," he told the boy. "I will return to you." He had walked back over to the crib and placed little Haryn down. Big green eyes followed him as he clad himself in his armour. Once down he stroked his son's unruly hair one last time before leaving the room.

He was heading out into battle.

…

"Dada… dada," little Haryn cried, but his father did not appear. Harsh screams tore through the halls of Barad-dûr.

Down on the ground a dark-haired man with fiery eyes stopped dead in his tracks. _'Please Haryn, I will be back calm yourself my son,' _he thought sadly. He didn't like abandoning his little bérren, but it was necessary for now. He lifted his helmet fitting it over his horns that went curved into the air with a second smaller pair going down behind his head. "Move out!" he roared to his brethren. They would join the battle below. A battle between the armies of elves and men and his own troops among the Forgotten Ones. What he didn't realise was that not all came with him.

A single Shrāl stayed behind hidden in the shadows. His amber eyes glared at his King. How he despised the man – his brother. Once the troops had left, he made his way up the stairs of Barad-dûr in haste. If he was to gain control, his first objective was to get rid of Sauron's spawn.

He sneered down at the sleeping boy once he'd reached his brother's bedroom. The child had cried himself to sleep. "Disgusting," the man hissed hate filling his voice. Lifting one of his hands, he summoned a blade. An insane grin spread over his face as he aimed the dagger at the boy's heart and drove it downwards.

Darkness flooded the room.

More than a mile away on the field of battle Sauron reached up and clutched his chest. "Haryn," he breathed. The connection he had with his son had faded suddenly. He turned around cutting an elf down in the process. He had to get back to Barad-dûr. He moved forward until suddenly a man appeared before him.

"Brother, brother… humans sneaked through our defences. They made their way into Barad-dûr and…" Haxoru's voice clogged. "…and they found Haryn. I went after them but when I got there… it was too late. Haryn-ka is gone. They killed him."

Sauron froze. Tears made their way into his eyes. A roar of agony filled the air. He didn't care about the peace and understanding that he'd been working for. They had killed his baby. They would die. Clutching his mace tighter, he marched into the thick of battle. As he no longer cared what happened to him, he was now a terrifying force to witness.

Men and Elves fell to his blows.

In the background a single Shrāl stood with a satisfied smirk on his lips. At this rate his brother would kill himself, and then HE would be the ruler of their people. He watched in glee as his cursed brother lost the mighty ring of power to a broken blade. He knew that losing the ring alone would not be enough to rid him of the man, however, and so he threw a poisoned blade to his King's unguarded back. He smirked as his Illusions made the foolish humans and elves see the armoured beast of a man he'd made his brother look like explode. Now he just needed to get the ring. He looked over at his brother's body. _'Don't you dare take that you little…'_ He looked down at his chest. A long slightly curved blade was pointing out of his abdomen. _'This was not how it was supposed to go,' _he thought as the blade twisted and left his body as it left him gravity overtook him, and his body collapsed. He roared in anger. He was not going to end there. He would show them all. He would crush them – destroy them – make them despair…


	2. Through Emerald Orbs

**Through Emerald Orbs**

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling does.

* * *

A raven-haired teen was sitting alone in a big clearing in the forest. He'd gone out there in order to be alone. Unlike most he did not find the forest uninviting or even scary. The tall trees and thick underbrush made him feel strangely safe. Out there the only person who would ever disturb him was a small girl with dirty-blond hair and big protuberant silver-grey eyes named Luna Lovegood, and she seldom said anything to him. She would simply sit down by one of the trees and pull out a sketch book or a magazine. She only ever appeared there when he didn't mind her company… almost like she knew. It had been that way since his second year at the school they both attended. That year had been her first.

School, well to him it felt more like an animal reserve where he was one of the animals with the way people kept staring at him. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Ogling and Gossip," he muttered. Not that it mattered how they treated him. Even if they hadn't acted like his life was everyone's business, he still wouldn't have felt like he belonged there. It all just felt off to him. From how the magic didn't really come to him to how he cringed whenever people compared him to his dead parents.

Sometimes, however, he had dreams. Dreams of a smooth bass that told him stories or sang to him or simply talked about nothing in particular. He would always wake up from those dreams feeling even more out off place than usual. It was almost like he belonged wherever that voice was. Like that was his true home.

He'd never felt like he belonged. Not as far as he could remember at least. Of course back with his so called relatives it hadn't been all that difficult to feel out off place since they all hated him.

A soft sigh left his lips. He guessed he'd have to go back to the halls of backstabbing brats. Sometimes he couldn't but agree with Snape. The children at Hogwarts were imbeciles. If the man hadn't hated James so much they could have gotten along really well.

Walking past a small pond, he heard a rustling sound coming from his right. He slowly turned his head towards the noise only to realise that it was an Acromantula. He hissed menacingly at the eight-legged creature before simply moving on. The spiders knew not to attack him unless they had a death wish.

Silent steps moved through the forest that wizards feared so much that they had named it Forbidden. It really was an unoriginal name – very uninspired. Dark and gloomy people found it but the raven couldn't agree with that. It was dark yes. He'd like to see a forest so full of tall trees that wasn't dark. But why darkness would mean that it was dangerous he would never understand.

He yawned. _'I really need more than three hours of sleep tonight,'_ he thought. He'd been getting nightmares for several weeks now and it was messing up his sleep pattern something awful. He honestly couldn't understand what was so fascinating about a dark corridor leading up to a think metal door.

A pale hand reached out and pushed one of the great doors leading into Hogwarts open. The raven stepped into the empty hall on the other side. He pulled himself together and replaced his normal half grumpy mask. It wasn't so late that he'd get in trouble for being out yet, but he'd rather not meet anyone on the way up to Gryffindor tower.

…

Green eyes met him as he looked into the bathroom mirror. He sighed. _'I really look pathetic,'_ he though as he turned away from the mirror. Out of the corner of his eye he saw his body flash in the mirror. He'd been taller and healthier but strangest of all his arms had been covered in black scales. _'What the hell was that?'_ he wondered. He stepped away from the reflective glass and shook his head. Had it simply been a mirage created because he was so damn tired or … had it been something else?

He snorted as he walked over to one of the showerheads. _'Great now I'm seeing things. Like I didn't have problems enough without that happening,'_ he thought. He ran his hands through his unruly hair before walking in under one of the showerheads. He turned the shower on and hummed as the warm water cascaded down his body. He turned the temperature up until it should have scalded him, but it just felt nice. He grabbed a bar of soap. It was strange how he was still so pale despite the warmth of the water. He guessed it was a good thing that he was alone in the bathroom because his dorm mates would react to the heat.

He pulled a towel from the rack and dried himself off before throwing it in the laundry hamper. He was tired. He pulled his pyjama pants on before walking out of the bathroom. The maroon hangings around the beds really pissed him off that evening. Not that he knew why.

"Harry aren't you coming back down… are you going to bed already?"

The raven turned around. Ron was standing in the doorway looking just about as stupid as usual. _'Yes Ronald I'm going to bed already not that it's any of your business,_' he thought. "Yeah Ron… I'm tired those damn nightmares have been keeping me awake," he said.

Ron looked like he had trouble processing the information for a moment before saying, "Oh, O.K. I'll let Hermione know. She wanted to do homework."

"Yeah thanks, tell her not to worry about that," the raven said.

Ron nodded dumbly and walked back out off the dorm.

The raven rolled his eyes before falling down on the soft bed. He knew he wasn't all that nice when it came to the ginger. At least he didn't say most of that stuff out loud. He rolled over and pulled the curtains around his bed closed. He made certain that no one else could open the damn curtains before laying back. He let his breathing even out. "Can I have one night without dreams, please?" he breathed. He started up the meditative exercises that Snape wanted him to do before going to bed. If only the man knew how much time he'd spent doing similar things as a child. He spent some time working on his mind shields and fake mind before slowly falling asleep.

…

Green eyes opened slowly. It was dark. He tried to move but he couldn't. _'What is going on?' _he wondered. _'Why can't I move?'_

His eyes slowly got used to the gloom. It looked like he was in some sort of medieval bedroom. He tired to move again but nothing happened.

"Are you awake Haryn?" the raven could hear a soft bass say. _'He sounds familiar,'_ he thought. The man came into view as a soft light spread through the room. He had fiery orange eyes and dark hair that could be brown or maybe red. _'Ah, that explains why I can't bloody move,' _the raven thought as the man lifted him up. He was tiny.

"You should be sleeping bérren-ka," the man said. "Why are you awake?" He held the baby close and walked back out off the room.

The raven found it very annoying that he couldn't turn his head and the baby, he was currently seeing through the eyes off, through it was great to bury in the man's chest. O.K. sure it was soothing to lay there and listen to the man's heartbeat, but he wanted to know what was going on. Once the man started talking calmly though, his ability to concentrate was out the window. He could feel himself drifting off to sleep once more.

Darkness

The corridor was painted out before him. He'd been there before, and he still didn't know why he was there. It was just as dark as usual with no real light source which did make him wonder just how he could see anything at all. He had a while ago started wondering just how these stupid dreams made their way into his head. Actually he'd started searching for some sort of breach in his mind shields after he'd seen Arthur Weasley attacked by Voldemort's snake. He had yet to find one though.

He turned around and started walking in the opposite direction from the stupid door in the corridor. He took a deep breath as he made his own mindscape appear. He'd done that before with no success what so ever in finding anything. He sat down on top of one of the towers he'd built in there. Maybe he needed to use a different tactic. He always tried to find something that shouldn't be there but what if that wasn't the case. What if… he tilted his head to the side. He stood up before jumping down from the tower.

After wandering around for who knows how long, he finally gave up. Whatever it was that allowed those dreams or visions through his mental shields, he couldn't find it. He took a deep breath as he made himself wake up.

"Great," he whispered. "Another night of not enough fucking sleep." He rubbed his eyes as a yawn spread over his lips. Now he had to deal with his classmates without snapping at them to much. That would be interesting.


	3. Awakening

**Awakening**

It was cold and dark. Fiery eyes opened slowly. He couldn't see – couldn't hear. Nothingness surrounded him. How long had he been there? Where was he? His vision faded once more before he lost consciousness.

_'__I wonder how long I've been here.' _

_'__What happened to me?'_

_'__Am I dead?'_

He was floating. His body was too heavy for him to move it. Somewhere at the back of his head there was a gnawing feeling that something very important to him was missing.

He drifted off once more.

…

"Aaahhhhhhhhh."

Air filled his lungs. He coughed violently, ridding his airways of water.

A hand landed on his shoulder. "Lord Sauron," a raspy voice said.

The dark-haired man coughed again. He blinked slowly as his eyes got used to the gloom. He was sitting in a marshland. "Wh… what is this … place?" he asked. Never before had he seen something so foul.

"It was once the battle ground on which we fought the Elves and Men who called themselves the Free Folk," Dowaim said. "I believed you lost my Lord until I felt your presence once more no less than a fortnight ago."

"This is where we fought?" Sauron said softly. He tried to stand up. He would have fallen back down to the ground if Dowaim had not caught him. "Thank you, old friend," he said. His eyes scanned the area. "A long time has passed, has it not my friend?"

"Yes my Lord. Almost three millennia have passed since the great battle took place," Dowaim said.

Sauron looked down at his scaled hands. His skin was wrinkled slightly but one should've expected far worse from laying around in a swamp for three thousand years. "And what of my son? What of my Haryn-ka?" he asked.

Dowaim's gaze fell to the ground. "Haryn-himon has not been seen since the battle," he said, sadness filing his voice. "He is believed to be lost to us."

"What cruel world would have me survive the ages only to find out that my brother spoke the truth," Sauron said.

Dowaim's brows furrowed. "What did Haxoru tell you my Lord?" he inquired. The man had disappeared for a long time and when he returned he was different. He'd felt wrong.

"He told me that humans sneaked past our defences and murdered my son," Sauron said.

A growl past Dowaim's lips. "That filth," he hissed. "He returned some years ago. He called us to him and claimed he had the right to lead us. He took the name Sauron saying that it would be easier on the weaker races if the name of their ruler did not change. I and Khamûl were the only ones in the old council who did not fall for his words. If he had truly wished to rule as a good King he would not have claimed a name not his own."

"You believe my nano-ka would have planed my downfall. That he may have killed my bérren-ka himself?" Sauron said. His fists closed as he played that last moment with his brother over and over in his mind's eye. He'd been smiling. Haxoru had been smiling as he himself had turned away from the man in despair filled rage. Had his brother hoped that… Anger flooded through him. He wished to tear the man apart limb from limb. In his current state however he could do nothing. He turned to Dowaim. The silver scaled man's black eyes moved over the marsh around them. "I can assume you have a place where we are safe from enemy eyes," he said.

A smirk spread over the white haired man's lips. "I have taken the city of Minas Ithil as my own Minas Morgul. Most of what's left of our people has gathered there. The ones who would not follow Haxoru," he said.

Sauron nodded. Had his son still be alive he would have smiled, but without Haryn he had little reason to do so.

The journey to Minas Morgul was tiring and made much longer by the fact that they could not simply fly there. There was a long road of recovery laid out before him, but as Sauron saw his people once more, he remembered why he had taken up his place as their King. He'd wanted them safe.

He sat down on the bed in his room. So many things had gone wrong. _'Why am I still alive?'_ he wondered. Tears started flowing down his face as he cried for his lost son.

…

Days passed. Sauron walked among his people. He learned what had become of friends of old. Much like the elves of this world the Shrāl were a long lived race. Many of those that had fought beside him were there with him now. They had chosen to travel with Dowaim.

He also trained. Both his body and mind had fallen into disarray over the years. Together with Dowaim and Khamûl, he worked to regain the strength he had once held. His training was harsh and his two former advisors had to force him to rest. He had only one goal in mind, though, the death of his nano-ka. The man would regret raising a blade to his son.

Days turned to weeks…

weeks to months…

months to years…

until one night.

Pain flowed through him. Unimaginable pain that did not relent. And then the world exploded in colours. Greens and reds and bright yellows followed by black.

Slowly his eyes got used to the dark.

Men were gathered in a cemetery. They wore black billowing cloaks much like his Nazgûl tended to do. They surrounded two figures: one a child facing away from him and one a strangely pale snake-like man with bright red eyes. A bright line connected between the two facing each other off. From that strange light spirits emerged. Who they were and what was going on, Sauron did not know. He had never seen a place such as this one before. And then the light broke and the child ran towards him. His heart skipped a beat as bright emerald eyes looked straight through him. "Haryn," he whispered.

Fiery eyes opened as Sauron drew a rattling breath. He reached up with a hand and clutched his heart. Was his son alive? He steadied his breathing and closed his eyes. Searching deep within himself for the first time since he'd woken up in the marshlands, he was looking for the connection he had with his son. A connection that had been established even before the boy was born. A soft whimper escaped his lips as he found it. "Haryn-ka," he whispered. But how had that happened? And where was he?

The connection between them was weak.

His eyes narrowed. He had a new goal. He wanted his son back. He wanted Haryn back here where he belonged. He rose from the bed and marched over to the bedroom door. Throwing the door open, he walked through it with determination shining in his eyes. "Dowaim, Khamûl to me!" he roared as he walked down the corridor that lead from the sleeping quarters. He could hear the other two men joining him soon enough. Doors flew open on their own as he reached them. Eventually he walked into the study and stopped.

"I can feel my son. I can feel Haryn," he said once the other two had joined him. "I don't know where he is or how he got there but we have to find him." He turned around to look at the others.

They could see his desperation. But most important to them was the fact that for the first time since his return to them, he held true fire once more. They could feel his spirit burn. "How do you wish to proceed my Lord?" Dowaim asked.

Sauron met the snowy-haired man's black eyes. "The connection we share should lead me to him. I'm hoping that one of you will come with me." He looked over towards one of the windows. "Someone has to stay here and take care of our people though so both of you cannot come," he said.

The two men nodded. "I'll stay," Dowaim said. "Everyone has an easier time approaching me for some reason." He smirked at Khamûl.

The iron-haired man rolled his eyes. "I simply have no patience with their whining," he said. "Our Lord did not pick me for my people skills, Dowaim."

The snowy-haired man snorted. "Well that is a good thing. I'd hate to see the state of things if we left it all to you," he said. He turned to Sauron. "There are some things we need to go over before you leave my Lord. And you need a full nights sleep so we should go back to bed."

Sauron ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "I guess you're right," he said.

…

The two Shrāl had been travelling for months. Sauron was feeling like he was slowly getting closer to Haryn as they went. He somehow doubted that they could just walk to where his son was though. They had travelled into Rhûn where grand plains would soon give way to dry desert. At times the wind that blew over the plain would carry with it big sand clouds from the desert and cover the plain in golden grains.

It was beautiful but very dangerous.

Sauron could feel static in the air. It was far away still but growing stronger as they went. The sandstorms couldn't stop him and since they were Shrāl, the heat of the desert did not bother them the same as it would humans. Their scales absorbed the heat and converted it to energy. It didn't mean that it was all just a walk in the park though.

They still had problems with water.

A mountain range spread out before them. The static that Sauron had been feeling was growing stronger. It seemed to be generating from the mountain range. The thing was that, it was from over there that his connection with his son was leading him as well.

The two men speeded up. They were close now.

Landing on one of the smaller mountain tops, they could see down into a valley. Bolts of lightning jumped from a strange swirling vortex of multicoloured light. Sauron could feel himself being pulled towards the vortex. Haryn was on the other side of that vortex. He knew he would have to go through.

The lightning bolts hitting the mountain walls increased suddenly as the vortex stopped spinning. Then something was thrown out of the darkness that had appeared in the vortex centre. It seemed to be a man but as the two Shrāl attempted to approach him he changed.

A great beast stood before them.

It whimpered softly before collapsing to the ground too injured to do anything else.

Sauron and Khamûl looked at the beast for a moment before their gazes turned to the once again swirling vortex.

"Do you think that the vortex in itself harmed him or was he injured before entering it," Khamûl said a bit worried.

Sauron shrugged. "The only way to find that out for certain is to go through it ourselves," he answered.

The iron haired man looked at him and groaned. _'Great,'_ he thought before moving forward. It wasn't like he was going to allow for his Lord to go on by himself.


	4. Going Home

**Going Home**

"I'm fine, sir," the raven said shakily. He placed his head in his hands. "I must have fallen asleep. I had a nightmare." He ran one of his hands through his black hair. _'It wasn't real,' _he thought. Just like all those dreams of that stupid corridor, this was fed to him by someone – most likely Voldemort.

"Pressure of examinations!" Professor Tofty said sympathetically, patting the teen shakily on the shoulder. "It happens, young man, it happens! Now, a cooling drink of water and perhaps you will be ready to return to the Great Hall? The examination is nearly over…"

"It's O.K. sir I was done anyway," the raven said. He whipped sweat off his forehead once more. "Thank you for helping me sir."

"Very well, very well," the old wizard said gently. "It's no bother helping you young man. I shall go and collect your examination paper, and I suggest you go and have a nice lie down."

The raven nodded. "I'll do that sir," he said. He watched as the old man walked back into the Great Hall. He sighed. _'So should I go knowing that it is a trap?_' he wondered. _'If I go knowing that it is a trap maybe I can turn the whole thing around.'_ He walked up the marble staircase and continued up to the Gryffindor tower. He pulled his invisibility cloak out of his trunk, cursing over the fact that Umbridge had taken his Firebolt. He needed a way to get to the Ministry and flying was the fastest one. Grabbing his schoolbag, he emptied it out on his bed before packing the cloak down into it. He grabbed the pocketknife Sirius had given him from the mess on his bed and shoved it into a pocket inside the bag.

Kneeling down next to his trunk once more, he pulled out a number of vials. _'If Snape only knew,'_ he thought as he packed them away. He turned towards the door and took a deep breath. He needed to get either to the Hippogriffs or the Thestral. Unless he was going to try to get a hold of his broom. _'Umbridge will figure out that something is going on way faster if I steal the broom back,'_ he though, effectively deciding to use either one of the winged beasts.

He pulled out one of his school cloaks and removed the Gryffindor crest from it before packing it down in his bag as well before looking back down in the trunk. The parcel Sirius had given him that Christmas was still lying down there untouched. He reached down and pulled the wrapping off. It was a mirror. A black eyebrow rose sceptically. _'A mirror?'_ He shook his head. _'Who knew it might come in handy,'_ he thought as he dropped it into his bag.

The raven walked back out of the dorm and down the stairs to the common room before making his way back down to the Entrance Hall quickly. The fewer students that saw him leave the better, but he still did his best to look like he was just going to take a walk around the grounds. He'd even picked up Quidditch through the Ages before he left the dorm to make that scenario even more convincing.

He walked over to the lake slowly. The more in a hurry you were the more people would notice you after all. When he'd reached the lake he sat down and opened his bag. Some of the potions he had were harmless in their current form but if he mixed them. Well. It would be fun. He didn't want to rely on being able to do it later though. They would get a bit volatile, but he should be O.K. if he didn't break the vials.

It was probably a whole hour later when the raven rose from his spot. He brushed his pants off and stretched before he started walking towards Hagrid's hut. It wouldn't be difficult to vanish into the forest once he'd reached the hut. He was actually surprised that Hermione and Ron hadn't showed up yet. He was grateful of course, but it was a bit strange. Normally they wouldn't leave him alone.

Walking in among the trees, he disappeared quickly. He was so used to walking through the forest that he knew where the Thestrals usually stayed. He guessed riding a Thestral with his cloak on would be the best way to pass by unnoticed. He stared running his legs carrying him swiftly through the underbrush.

He jumped over a small stream that ran through the forest and continued until he could see a clearing through the trees. He slowed down as he got closer. He didn't want to scare the fouls. "Hey everyone," he said softly as he entered the clearing. The Alpha walked up to him slowly. "I'm sorry I didn't bring you anything today," he said as he reached out to pet the skeletal horse. White eyes blinked slowly. "I need your help to get to the Ministry, will you help me?" he asked.

The Thestral lifted his head and snorted before bumping against the teen's chest.

"Thank you," the raven said. He walked along the horse-like creature's side, past the long bat like wings, and lifted himself up on the Alpha's back. "Wait just a moment so I can hide myself O.K." he said softly. He pulled his cloak out of his bag and wrapped it around himself. "There we go," he said. "We can leave whenever you're ready."

The Thestral shrugged as he unfolded his big leathery wings. One beat and then another, he moved forward and then they were flying.

Wind whipped past him as they flew over first Hogsmead and then open grasslands and fields before passing several small villages. _'This is what it's like to be free,'_ he thought happily. A single car drove on a winding road beneath them.

…

The sun had started setting, colouring the sky orange and yellow. The Alpha Thestral landed next to a vandalised phone box. "Thank you so much," the raven said. He ran his hands through the Thestral's mane. "You can go back to your herd now," he said. He backed off towards the phone box and stepped inside. He could see the Thestral leaving out of the corner of his eyes as he turned around. He dialled the number that would activate the elevator.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic. Please state your name and business," a cool female voice said.

The raven rolled his eyes like he'd use his real name for this. "Nathaniel Winters, I have a hearing with the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures concerning a rouge Acromantula."

"Thank you," the cool female voice said. "Visitor, please take the badge and attach them to the front of your robe." A badge slid out of the metal chute where returned coins normally appeared. The raven picked it up and dropped it down into a pocket.

"Visitor to the Ministry, you are required to submit to a search and present your wand for registration at the security desk, which is located at the far end of the Atrium."

"Of course," the raven said. The floor of the telephone box shuddered as it moved down towards the building beneath. The teen pulled his invisibility cloak off and replaced it with his black school cloak before flipping the hood up over his head. He walked through the Atrium quickly but not so fast that he looked conspicuous. He slipped past the stupid check in desk and over to the elevator. The trick was to look like you belonged. People didn't ask questions if you just looked like you knew what you were up to. He went with the elevator down to level nine and stepped out. He disappeared down one of the corridors that led to a courtroom before pulling his invisibility cloak out of his bag once more. He changed cloaks again.

Moving down to the courtroom door, he placed his ear against it hoping that wizards around here were just as stupid as they tended to be anywhere else and didn't use silencing charms. He couldn't hear anything. Unfortunately that only meant that they might actually be smart. _'Oh, well I guess I'll notice,'_ he thought.

He didn't think that trying to gain access to the Department of Mysteries while all the Unspeakables working there were still around was a good idea.

A bell sounded through the building, and the raven watched as people started walking past him. He doubted that everyone would leave now, but at least there would be fewer of them. He picked a pair of potion vials out of his bag before he moved out from his hiding place and placed the vials down on either side of the corridor. He pulled his wand out and moved it in a spiral. A thin string started twining itself out of the wand's tip. He had created the spell himself. He tied the corks if the two vials together and cast another spell. He'd figured out when he first entered the wizarding world that his magic and the magic that others seemed to use was not the same. It took him far longer to learn spells mostly because they felt wrong to him. Hermione thought he was lazy, but what she didn't realise was that he had to pick apart how the spell worked and how to make that happen for anything to happen at all.

He made sure that the tripwire would only go off if Death Eaters walked through it before walking over to the black door that had been haunting his dreams of late. He opened the door slowly and stepped inside.

The raven was laying out traps as he went through the strange department. He had no clue how the Death Eaters would get inside if they even would so he was placing vials and other interesting things a little all over the place.

~Harry~

… ~Harry~…

The raven stopped. Where was that voice coming from?

~Harry~

Green eyes widened. He recognised that voice. He reached down into his bag since that was where the voice had been coming from, and pulled the strange mirror Sirius had given him out. He looked at the reflective surface for a second wondering if the voice really came from that.

~Harry~

He almost dropped the mirror. "Sirius?" he said questioningly. The reflective surface of the mirror dulled for a moment before darkening, and then he could see Sirius' gray eyes looking back at him. He quickly reached up and pulled the hood of his invisibility cloak off so the man could see him as well. He could see relief washing over the black-haired man's face at the sight of him.

"Harry finally…" Sirius said. "I was starting to think you had chucked the mirror in your trunk or something."

The raven rolled his eyes. "Really Sirius," he said. Of course up until that very day that was exactly what he'd done, but there was no need to let his godfather know that.

Sirius face turned more serious as he asked, "So where are you? Snape contacted us and said you had disappeared." It was obvious that the dog-animagus was worried about the raven from the expression on his face and the tone of his voice.

The teen contemplated how to answer him for a moment. If he told his godfather the truth, the gray eyed man would most likely come running – not only that but he'd let others know what was going on too. If he lied, however, and Sirius found out about it later, the man would never trust him again. His green eyes were determined as he made his decision. "I'm in the Department of Mysteries," he said calmly. "Voldemort has been sending me these stupid visions like he wanted me to come here so I decided why not take him up on his offer. They've most likely planed some kind of trap, but if you walk into a trap knowing what it is, it's a hell of a lot harder to trap you in it. Besides I've been laying traps of my own."

Sirius looked at him disbelievingly for a moment or two. Then his eyes widened as he realised what his godson had just told him. "You went alone to the Department of Mysteries knowing that the Death Munches has laid a trap for you there, are you insane," he exclaimed.

"Maybe," the raven said. "And if you're gonna call me suicidal … just don't. If I was suicidal I wouldn't be telling you this." His eyes were glowing faintly in the dim light of the room he was in. "Come here with the Order if you want to. Just remember that I'll be in the thick off it and for all that's sacred don't let Snape come." He might not get along with the man all that well, but he didn't want him to get caught in the traps he'd set for the Death Eaters. The dog-animagus looked like he wanted to argue with him, but he really wasn't in the mood for that. "Just don't Sirius. Either I'll see you here or I won't, but this has to be done. You will give me away if you contact me again so please don't," he said. He knew he was being short but his trap outside of the Department had just gone off so he didn't really have the time to argue about his safety with his godfather. He dropped the mirror back into his bag. Pulling his hood back on, he walked back out of the office he'd moved into when Sirius had started contacting him. He walked back out and made his way through the time room.

Light danced over the walls. All kind of strange clocks and hourglasses filled the walls. He placed another vial down and connected the string to the door as he left the room. He guessed that at least some of the hourglasses were time turners just like the one Hermione had carried in their third year. He'd made sure to place non-explosive traps in the room. _'Not going to find out what happens if I destroy a room full of instruments that can bring people back in time,'_ he thought.

Green eyes travelled over row upon row of old dusty shelves with little orbs placed out on them. Some orbs glowed others were dull. The raven guessed that there was some sort of difference between the two. He noticed that each orb had a small yellowing label next to it. The text on most of them had faded so much that it was impossible to read. _'One would think that they'd take better care of these especially if they're still active,' _he thought. He moved slowly as he continued down along the row of shelves. He could hear footsteps approaching him as he stopped by the end of the shelf that the vision had shown him. A smirk spread over his lips as he saw a bunch of black cloaked figures come moving down towards him. He walked two rows over and started heading in the direction they would expect him to come from. He honestly didn't care why they wanted him there in the first place. The only thing he was interested in now was dealing with them; get them out of his way.

Pulling his cloak off, the raven started walking down row ninety-seven as he folded the silky cloth. He passed one of the blue lit candles and rolled his eyes. _'Ohhhh, spooky,'_ he thought as he put the invisibility cloak back in his bag. "Sirius," he whispered shakily as if he was truly expecting the man to be there. He pulled his wand out and started walking faster. "Sirius," he called worriedly. _'Like I'd actually run in screaming his name,' _he thought. He was doing it now because that was what he expected the Death Eaters to think he'd do. Either way it would make them think he was a complete moron which would only benefit him later.

He stopped suddenly. He'd reached the spot where he'd seen Sirius being tortured in his vision. "He's not here," he whispered disbelievingly before yelling, "SIRIUS!" He looked around seemingly frantic. There had to be something around there that they wanted him to do. His eyes fell on the numerous orbs on the shelf in front of him. Scanning the yellowish labels by the orbs there, he tilted his head back and looked a row higher. His eyes narrowed.

S.P.T. to A.P.W.B.D.

Dark Lord

and(?) Harry Potter

He reached out and snatched the dusty orb up fast determined to destroy the stupid thing as soon as possible.

"Very good, Potter. Now turn around, nice and slowly, and give that to me," a drawling voice said from behind him.

_'__Not bloody likely,'_ the raven thought as he turned around. He could see black shapes emerging on either side of him, blocking his path in both directions. If he hadn't already known they were there, he might have felt panicked by it, but now it all just seemed a bit dramatic. He almost rolled his eyes as the Death Eaters pointed their wands at him.

"To me, Potter," Lucius repeated with a drawl.

_'__Yesh, blondie really likes ordering people around,'_ the raven thought as he looked down at the orb. He smirked. "Really Lucy, you must be delusional. Do you honestly think that I'll give this to you?" he said. He threw the orb up in the air and hissed, **_"Explode."_** The orb shattered but the magic that the teen had released travelled far beyond the orb he'd been holding. It blew up not only every orb in the shelf in front of him but also made the shelf itself break and fall backwards. It took others with it as it fell in a horrid domino effect that would ruin the Hall of Prophesies.

All around them ghostly figures emerged from the shattered glass. Their voices echoed through the room, but since there were so many of them, it was impossible to tell what they were saying.

The raven smirked as he climbed over one of the fallen shelves. He quickly threw himself out of the way of a spell as it sailed past his ear. He took off in a sprint heading towards one of the doors that would take him out of the room. He could hear the commotion of the Death Eaters trying to follow him as he activated the trap he'd placed in the room.

BOOOM! An explosion went off.

Her giggled as he slammed the door shut behind him. He moved quickly through several rooms until he was back in the one with brains floating around in some kind of green liquid. He'd made sure to stay as far away from the rather disturbing things as possible as he'd moved through the room to lay his taps earlier. He dragged his invisibility cloak back out of his bag and put it back on. _'Try and find me now,' _he thought maliciously. He made sure that the traps in the room were running hot before leaving. He had no clue what those brains would do to the Death Eaters, but in all honesty, he didn't care.

"Come here little boy, let's play," a rather insane looking woman said as she came in through another door. The raven guessed that it was Bellatrix Lestrange. The woman walked through the room talking in a crazed baby tone. The teen basically stopped breathing as she slowed her steps down right in front of him. Her breath smelled rotten. It made him want to vomit. He really hoped she'd move on because it was getting hard for him to not make a noise.

He gagged as the woman moved away from him. Waiting until she had left the room, he moved down to another door slowly. He slipped into the dark room and looked around. A gigantic replica of the solar system moved around the room slowly. There was little to no gravity in the room but something still kept him walking upright. He moved by Neptune reaching out so he was almost touching its icy surface. The blackness of the room was seemingly endless even though he knew that there were walls in there. He took another step forward and away from the big blue planet next to him before stopping once more. He looked down at his feet. _'I could hide so much better without those,'_ he thought as he studied his shoes. Thought and done, he sat down in the air?... and grabbed the shoelaces to untie them before pulling the shoes off. His steps had been echoing like crazy in the other rooms so he would be way better off without them. His cloak slipped off as he worked, but he didn't bother fixing it. Something he regretted as soon as a green beam of magic flew by his left ear.

"Found you, Potter," Lucius hissed angrily. "You will pay for destroying our Lord's prophesy orb."

Green eyes glowed in the darkness as the raven turned around to face the blond aristocrat. "Now, now Lucy what use could he possibly have of that silly little thing?" he asked mockingly. "It only said Dark Lord after all that doesn't mean that it has to be him." He jumped out of the way off the next spell Lucius cast at him.

"How dare you, you little…"

The raven grabbed his wand and pointed it at the planet floating serenely above the blonde's head. "Reducto," he cried and Saturn exploded in a rain of dust which rained down over the man below it. He used the distraction to pull a vial out of his bag. He dashed to the side as Lucius started firing off spells at him before he threw the vial towards the fuming wizard. He aimed his wand at the vial as it sailed through the air another blue curse left his wand. The vial exploded and Lucius was covered in the purple liquid.

"Argh," the raven cried as he grabbed his side where a long gash was slowly colouring his shirt red. The blond Death Eater had hit him with something. "Fuck," he hissed. A white streak sailed past him as he rolled to the side.

"Crucio," Lucius said darkly.

The curse hit, and the teen collapsed clenching his teeth in agony. A small whimper escaped him as he looked up at the blond. He really hoped that his potion would do the trick because right now he was in deep shit. He managed to send a spell off at the man, but the retaliation for that was so painful he screwed his eyes shut.

"Not quite so cocky anymore are we Potter?" Lucius sneered. His hair was tangled and filled with purplish goo, his robes tangled and ripped. This was NOT a good day for him. He raised his wand to the writhing boy by his feet. "Avada Kedavra," he said despite the fact that his Lord wanted Potter for himself.

The green beam hit the teen square in the chest and he flew back.

_'__It worked,'_ the raven thought sluggishly as his green eyes tried to focus on the solar system above him. He pulled in a choking breath before he started laughing uncontrollably. His hearing must have been damaged by the curse though because he couldn't hear what Lucius said even if the man did seem somewhat frustrated with him. He could feel pain travel over his chest, but whatever spell the man had used hadn't cut very deep. He looked up at the blond with crazed eyes. "It won't work Lucy," he said cheerfully. "You're losing your magic every spell you cast takes a little more with it. The more you use the more you lose." He started laughing once more. Pain flared over his chest a few more times getting weaker and weaker for each time it happened.

The raven stopped laughing eventually and pulled in a calming breath. His body jerked to the side instinctively as a boot clad foot descended on him. He reached out and grabbed the leg before twisting himself around and kicking the man. He groaned as he lifted himself off the floor. Shifting, he caught the blonde's arm. "I suggest you don't do that again unless you want me to break your arm," he said.

He looked into the man's gray eyes. "You have no magic Lucius. Do you want to lose your life too?" he asked. He didn't wait for an answer. He simply raised his wand, pointed it at the man and mumbled, "Stupefy." He moved away from the blond slowly, picking up his cloak on the way to one of the doors that would take him out of the room. Sure he wasn't very well trained but against a man like Lucius, who relied completely on his magic, it wasn't all that difficult to win in hand-to-hand combat.

BOOOM! An explosion could be heard throughout the building.

_'__Shit,'_ the raven thought. He hadn't planned for it to be quite that potent. He grabbed his shirt as he started running towards the nearest exit and pulled it off so the buttons were sent flying. Shaking it off his shoulders, he grabbed the bloodied fabric and tied it around his waist tightly to hinder the blood flow from the wound in his side. _'Now I really wish I had made some healing potions,'_ he thought.

He pulled the first best door open and moved through it only to fall. He was falling and he was falling straight into a battle with spells flying every which way. He shifted his body around so he'd land on his bare feet.

"Harry!" a voice called, but the raven's eyes were locked on the event unfolding before him. "Sirius!" he shouted as a green curse flew towards the man. Gray eyes flashed his way, and Sirius stumbled back.

The raven watched in horror as his godfather slowly fell through the big arched veil in the middle of the room. The strange cloth seemed to almost reach out for the man's body, and then he was gone. "NO! Sirius," the raven called as he started moving towards the veil.

Arms wrapped around his waist tightly. "There is nothing you can do, Harry," Remus said as his grip tightened around the teen.

The raven leaned back breathing heavily. "That wasn't supposed to happen," he whispered. A lone tear made its way down his cheek before he wiped it away. His eyes fell on the wild form of Bellatrix Lestrange. He growled menacingly. "I'm gonna get you Trixie," he roared as he broke away from Remus. He ran up the stairs that went up the stone tiers tightly following the crazy woman. He ran and ran moving out of the way of the few spells she sent back over her shoulder.

They went through the brain room were green liquid covered the floor and brains were scattered everywhere. The raven had to slow down some to get through the room unscratched. They got back to the entrance room with its rotating walls and the raven reached the door Bellatrix had gone through just in time to catch it and keep it from closing on him. He pushed it back open and moved though the doorway.

The gate to the golden lift closed and a rattling sound went through the corridor as Bellatrix made her way up to the Atrium. The raven ran through the now dark corridor and called for another elevator he moved inside his own golden cage and pushed the button marked with Atrium. He leaned back slowly but wouldn't let himself relax.

Sirius was gone, and it was his fault. If he hadn't insisted on doing this then… _'It still has to be done,'_ he thought to himself. _'Voldemort has to be dealt with, and this is war. There is no way there won't be casualties.'_

Green eyes closed slowly. He really hoped that Voldemort would come. This whole thing would be for naught otherwise. The elevator stopped with a ping, and he moved out of it running. He was right on Bellatrix heels. The wound in his side was giving him trouble though.

Suddenly his legs gave out under him. He'd been so focused he hadn't realised how light headed he was getting.

"Oh, what is this, little Hawy is too tired to keep plawing," Bellatrix said in her mock baby voice as she realised what had happened.

The raven looked up at her. "Maybe," he said. He pulled a vial out of his bag and threw it at her in one swift move. He lifted his wand and sent off a blasting hex at the glittering glass container. It exploded in a rain of green falling down on the crazed witch.

Bellatrix staggered back. _'What did he throw at me?'_ she wondered. When nothing seemed to happen she giggled madly. "Now what Potter?" she asked. "I would kill you myself by the Dark Lord so wants you for himself." She reached out and grabbed his chin. "Where is the prophecy?" she asked sweetly.

The raven raised an eyebrow at her. "Why do you ask Trixie? You saw me destroy it," he said a smirk spreading over his lips.

"LIAR!" she shrieked with terror in her voice. "YOU'VE GOT IT POTTER, AND YOU WILL GIVE IT TO ME! Accio prophecy! ACCIO PROPHECY!"

The raven looked up at her humorously. A soft chuckle escaped his lips. "I blew it up. I blew it up with all the others so no one would hear what it had to say," he said cheerfully.

"No!" she screamed. "It isn't true, you're lying! MASTER I TRIED – DO NOT PUNISH ME–"

The raven raised an eyebrow. So he was there then. _'Good.'_

"Have we given up now, Potter," a high cold voice said from behind the teen.

"Really Tommy-boy, do you think I'd give up that easily," the raven said. He spun around quickly throwing a vial at the man's feet. It shattered spreading its clear contents over the floor by the snake-like man's feet. "You know seeing you brings back memories..." he said. "Of wanting my eyes gouged out!"

Red eyes met green and pain flared up in his scar.

"That can be arranged," Voldemort said coldly. "So you smashed my prophecy." He narrowed his red eyes to slits as he moved closer to the teen. "No Bella, he is not lying… I see the truth looking back at me from within his worthless mind … months of preparation, months of effort … and my Death Eaters have let Harry Potter thwart me again…"

"Master, I am sorry," Bellatrix said as she flung herself at his feet. "Master you should know…"

"Be quiet Bella," Voldemort said dangerously. "I shall deal with you in a moment. Do you think I have entered the Ministry of Magic to hear your snivelling apologies?"

"But Master – he is here – he is below…"

Voldemort paid no attention to her as he walked up closer to the kneeling teen. "I have nothing more to say to you, Potter," he said quietly. "You have irked me too often for too long. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The raven rolled out of the curse's way. He raised his wand and pointed it at Bellatrix, but he wasn't fast enough to send any spell off. Another beam of green came heading his way. Something thundered next to him. He looked up at Voldemort only to see that the man's attention was caught by something else. "Dumbledore," the serpentine man hissed.

The raven turned around and spotted the aging wizard by the golden gates to the elevator. _'Oh, great,'_ he thought sarcastically. He got up on his feet fast determined to get away from the battlefield. A deep rumble tore through the building. It threw him off his feet making him hit his head in the process. His vision swam and his head was spinning. A strange whistling sound went through his head.

His vision faded.

…

Green eyes blinked open slowly. The raven shook his head in an attempt to clear it. A hand went to his side instinctively as he sat up. When his eyes could focus once more he could see a big sphere of water with a dark figure in its midst. It had to be the Dark Lord. He watched the man struggle against the suffocating mass for a moment before the shape disappeared from sight.

The water cascaded down to the floor before slowly returning to the grand golden statue in the middle of the Atrium. Or the statue had been grand when the raven had first entered the ministry. Now, however, it lay in chunks and pieces all over the floor.

"MASTER!" Bellatrix shrieked.

And then… Pain flared up in the lightning bolt shaped scar on the raven's forehead. His hands flew up and he screamed. He retreated to his mindscape. His green eyes widened in horror as he saw a dark monster with red eyes tear through his inner-world. "No!" he roared. "Stop it you…" He didn't have the strength to fight not after what he'd been through that day. "Leave me alone," he whispered. "Just leave me alone." Something warm brushed against his mind shields. It felt almost like an embrace. Desperately he grabbed on to the sensation. "Please help me," he whimpered. He felt the warmth around him increase and then a jabbing pain to the back of his head.

"You have to let me in bérren-ka," a soft voice told him.

The raven focused on the voice desperately as he slowly let his outer mind shields fall. The warmth which he'd first only felt as an embrace outside of his shields flooded in through his mind. It soothed the pain he felt and attacked the foul beast that was trying to destroy his mind. The shapeless monster was set aflame. Green eyes stared in wonder as the fire spread everywhere. He was glad that he'd built his fortress to hold. The fire wouldn't touch it. He laughed freely as the monster let out a pained shriek. "That's right," he said. "Burn."

"Open your eyes bérren-ka," the soft bass told him.

The raven's eyes opened slowly. He was held against a broad chest. Strong arms were pressed against his back holding him protectively. He pulled in a deep breath. The scent that hit him was warm almost like cinnamon. That wasn't what affected the wounded teen though. No, it was the fact that the scent was familiar. It smelled safe, soothing. He let his head fall against the soft fabric of the man's shirt. "I know you," he whispered. His tired arms moved up slowly. A pained hiss escaped his lips as the wound in his side stretched.

"Hush, child," the man holding him said calmly. He was shifted to the side and the man growled.

Sauron was not happy. He'd been deep inside his son's mind by the time he'd actually reached the boy. Now he was seeing the amount of damage done to the young man. "Who did this to you?" he asked.

"Let go of the boy, sir," Dumbledore said with authority.

The raven rolled his eyes. "Butt out old man," he mumbled.

"Don't worry my son. I will not let some human fool have a say in this," Sauron said. He smiled down at his son when the boy looked up at him.

"Lay still you blasted abomination!"

The raven turned towards the voice. His eyes widened. The man had long horns travelling from where the top of his ears met his skull to about a foot above his head. His iron-gray hair was short and spiky. A scaled foot that looked almost like a bird's claw held Voldemort down on the floor. Bellatrix sent a curse at the man, and he lifted his head and hissed angrily at the woman.

"He's been trying to kill me since I was a baby," the raven said quietly.

Sauron's eyes fell on the man on the floor. It was the same one he'd seen in his dream. His grip tightened on his son as he called over to his comrade, "Khamûl come here and heal my son; I'm going to deal with that moron." He looked down at the boy in his arms. "Khamûl will heal you, bérren-ka. Will you let him?" he asked softly.

The teen looked over at the somewhat stern looking man. "O.K." he said quietly. He tumbled backwards a few steps before his body was caught in another set of strong arms as the two men changed places. He was helped down into a sitting position on the floor.

"I will simply give you a field treatment now. We can do a thorough check up later Haryn-himon," the iron-haired man said.

The raven looked up at the man with furrowed brows. "Haryn?" he asked confused. The name felt familiar like he'd heard it before.

"That is your name my Prince," Khamûl said as he reached out and removed the makeshift bandage from the young man's waist. He placed his hands over the deep gash and started healing it.

…

Sauron moved away from his son despite his need to hold the child to make sure that his bérren-ka was alright. Of course the boy wasn't alright. He was hurt badly and the abomination of a man that now lay before him was the cause of so much of the pain his son carried. **_"You will pay for harming my child snake-man,"_** he hissed coldly. A green beam of light hit him square in the chest. He stopped walking for a short moment before continuing forward. "Your puny little light show… HAS NOTHING ON ME," he said. Fire spread out from his hands. It engulfed the abomination. _'This man harmed my son,'_ Sauron thought angrily as he increased the heat of the flames until they burned blue. A beam of power hit his side. It was irritating but did no real damage.

"Mister, I do not know who you are, but you cannot simply show up like this and…"

Sauron narrowed his eyes at the old man. "I have come here to fetch my son. I don't care about your rules old man. Rules made by humans hold no interest for me," he said sternly.

The white haired old wizard raised his wand to Khamûl. "I cannot allow you to bring harm to my student," he said.

"He's not bloody well harming me. He's healing me, protecting me," Haryn said as stood up. The wounds crisscrossing over his chest were closing leaving no trace of their existence behind. The gash in his side was long gone. "Why is him…" he looked over at the red-haired man, "dada," he corrected. "How is dada killing that man wrong?" he asked. He knew deep in his soul that the man was his father and he had no bigger problems accepting that. At least now he would have someone who'd answer his damn questions.

"He isn't dead," Bellatrix shrieked. "The Dark Lord will rise again and he will…"

"Incendio," Haryn said coldly. The potion he'd throw at her earlier caught fire. It slowly made the flames turn to acid that melted the woman's skin off. Her screams filled the air until the potion burned her vocal cords beyond repair. She didn't live much longer after that.

Sauron turned to look at his son. A proud smile graced his lips.

"Harry, my boy, how could you do something so cruel?" Dumbledore asked disappointedly.

The raven scoffed. "She deserved it Headmaster," he said. "As a matter of fact every Death Eater here tonight will slowly realise that their magic won't regenerate. Lucius Malfoy is a squib already." He looked up at his father. "One of the worst things that could happen to people like that woman is the loss of their magic. They hate those humans that has none. Considers them to be animals or worse," he explained.

Sauron put the information his son had given him together and chuckled. "You have done something that will make them lose their magic if they use it? That is brilliant and definitely good enough as a punishment," he said.

Haryn smiled. "Thank you… dada-elo," he said proudly. He walked up to the fiery eyed man slowly. "I've had dreams of you," he said softly. "I know you're my dada but…" He looked down at his hands. "Where have you been? Why did I have to grow up with people who hated me when…" he fell silent.

Sauron reached out and lifted his son's chin. "I found out five moons from this day in the counting of our world's time that you were still alive," he said. "Many years ago I lost you to my own nano-ka's betrayal. I myself nearly died. For whatever hardships you have suffered in this world I am sorry." He reached out and pulled his son closer. "I love you and when my nano-ka told me that you'd died. It broke my heart. Yet here you are. I don't know how you survived, but I'm ever so grateful that you did." He reached up and ran a hand through his son's raven hair. "I lay somewhere between life and death for so long," he said. "I am sorry I have not been here for you."

Haryn closed his eyes. "We can talk more about that later right?" he asked softly. He knew that they wouldn't simply become a happy family in a day, but he'd wanted this for so long. There was a warmth in his chest that he'd never felt before, and it was so comforting. He knew it had appeared as the fiery eyed man showed up.

Footsteps could be heard as arguing voices approached. "Let's go home now," Sauron said softly. He loosened his grip on the raven in his arms. The teen turned around and he placed an arm around the boy's waist.

"Harry, my boy, come back here where you're safe," Dumbledore said. He pointed his wand at the dragon-like man's unprotected back ready to take his precious student back by force if needed.

"I suggest you lower your weapon human. An attack on His Majesty – successful or not – is not something I will allow to happen," Khamûl said sternly. "We have found what we came here for. Do not induce our wrath upon yourself unnecessarily." He walked past the old man, following his King and young Prince. In some ways he was glad that his sire had not missed as much as they had feared of his son's life.

Haryn had just kept walking. Sure he'd heard Dumbledore, but he didn't really care about what the man had to say. His entire life on Earth had been a lie. Why, had no one told him that he was adopted? He'd never really been a Potter. It wasn't really news to him. He'd know something was off for a long time.

Their feet led them back down to the Department of Mysteries. "Where are we going really?" Haryn asked as they entered the room with the spinning walls.

Sauron looked down at his son. "There is a portal down here that will take us back home," he said.

Haryn nodded slowly. His eyes moved down over his bare chest, and he wrapped his arms around himself feeling uncomfortable.

The shift didn't go unnoticed by his father however. The man removed his arm from his son's waist and shook the thin robe he was wearing off. He draped it around the raven's shoulders. Green eyes looked up at him with gratitude in their depths. "Thank you," the raven said.

Behind them Khamûl smiled.

They walked back into the room containing the veil and a good deal of people both Order members and Death Eaters. The found a set of stairs leading down to the pit in the centre.

"Harry, what are you doing here?"

The raven turned slightly to look at the man that had addressed him. "Professor Lupin," he said with a small nod. He folded his arms up in the robe he was now wearing. "I'm going home," he said. The gentle werewolf had always been nice to him so he saw no reason to be nasty now.

Remus asparagus green eyes widened. "Harry, cub, what do you mean, going home? You are home," he said worriedly.

Haryn raised an eyebrow. "Really Professor Lupin, you should know better than anyone else that James and Lily weren't my parents. Your wolf senses should be telling you that if nothing else," he said. The man didn't meet his eyes. "I've known for ages that they weren't my parents, you know. I would prefer if you could just tell the truth. Trying to protect me by lying to me will just piss me off," he said.

Remus took a surprised step back. He was a bit taken back. He could smell the hurt on his cub. _'Maybe we should have talked to him about it,'_ he thought. "They were so happy when Professor Dumbledore came with you to their home. They'd been trying to have a child for quite some time by then with no success. They really wanted a child so they took you in, and they loved you like their own," he said as he walked up closer to the teen. He cast a worried glance at the man standing behind his cub, but Moony told him not to worry about him. "The Marauders were the only others who knew about it. You looked enough like the two of them that no one asked any questions."

Haryn smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "So Dumbledore took me to the Potters and then Dumbledore placed me with the Dursleys because they were my only living relatives. He did that despite the fact that I wasn't related to them at all," he hissed.

Everyone around the teen could hear the injured tone in his voice. He was not happy with what had been going on that much was clear. The raven looked up at Remus. "I can accept that they loved me, and had they lived then maybe I would have cared more about them right now. Truth of the matter is that I have no emotional bond what-so-ever with the ones everyone calls my parents, and now that my father is here… I'm not staying," he said.

Remus sighed. He'd lost James and Lily. He'd lost Sirius less than an hour ago. Peter was a traitor. Harry was the only member left of his pack. "You're leaving," he said softly.

Haryn nodded. "Dada came for me, and I'm going with him. I'm going home where I belong," he said.

Remus looked back at the other Order members. The Marauders were the only ones who had ever really accepted him. "I've lost Sirius," he said. "Moony doesn't want to lose you too cub."

"Sirius?" Sauron asked. The name seemed to have some impact on his son as well as the man he was talking to.

Haryn looked up at his father. "Sirius Black was the one my adoptive parents chose to take care of me in case something happened to them. It didn't quite work out the way they had planned though," he said. He looked over at the veil. "He fell through that and well people say that it's a portal to the afterlife."

"A man came through the portal we travelled through to get here," Khamûl said. "He was worse for wear and turned into a canine of some sort but he was still alive when we left."

"He's alive," Remus whispered.

Khamûl nodded.

The werewolf looked over at the Black Veil. "Can I come with you?" he asked. "Sirius and Harry are the only family I have left. They are my pack."

Sauron shrugged. "That decision is yours to make. I will not make it for you. If my son wishes for you to join us once we're back, that is his decision."

Remus nodded. "I understand," he said. He watched as the two strange dragon-like creatures and his cub walked up to the veil. The tallest of the three – the one that Harry called father– wrapped his arms around the raven haired teen before moving into the shadow of in the arch.


	5. On the Road

**On the Road**

Colours flashed by their eyes.

Haryn closed his eyes against the intensity of it all. He curled closer to the heat of his father behind him. Maybe he was completely insane to trust these two. They had showed up from nowhere and claimed that he was some kind of Prince. The black scaled man behind him tightened his grip around his torso. _'I guess that means we're arriving soon,' _he thought.

Even so the raven was not ready for the impact that came with landing on the other side of the rift. His father's grip on him slipped, and he fell to the ground with a whimper.

Sauron fell down on his knees next to his son. He looked up at Khamûl. "Do you think it's possible to close this off now?" he asked as he pointed to the vortex.

Pink eyes turned to the dark swirl. "Maybe," he said. "It will most likely take the both of us though, and we have to move everyone else away from the crater." He looked around. "The canine seems to have moved on his own," he said.

"So we're just waiting for…"

Lightning played over the mountain sides. A whooshing sound echoed through the air.

"… him I guess," Sauron said as the human his son had been talking to before they went through the rift appeared. He reached down and picked his son up. The boy seemed to have fainted as he fell to the ground earlier. "Come with me," he instructed the somewhat disoriented human.

Green eyes looked over at the red haired man. Remus nodded his head which was still spinning from the ride. His skin was tingling awkwardly and he wondered what was going on. He followed the dragon-like man up a small path. Every breath he took felt heavier – thicker.

They entered a cave. Sauron walked in and fire spread through the cavern. It was small with a cave-in only a few steps in. "The two of you should be safe in here while we deal with the vortex outside," he said as he placed his son down on the ground. "Stay safe now, bérren-ka," he whispered. He cast a last glance at the human before heading back out to join up with Khamûl.

The two Shrāl looked up at the vortex. It had been good that they could travel through it to get Haryn back, but neither one of them liked the idea of a portal to other worlds open in Middle Earth. They moved about the crater taking in the pulsing of vortex. They studied the rise and fall of energy. It would have been better if Dowaim had been there as well, but they did not want to risk anyone getting through while they went to get him. "So, shall we begin?" Sauron asked Khamûl.

The iron-haired man nodded. "You should go wide. I'll centre and then we move our powers together," he said.

Sauron hummed in agreement. He rolled his shoulders as his wings broke out of his back. It was painful to hide them and bring them back out, but it was more practical to keep them hidden. He stretched them out to their full length before beating with them to lift from the ground. He flew up in the air above the vortex. Beneath him Khamûl walked in under the centre of the swirling portal. He took a deep breath before fire sprung from his fingertips. It surrounded him before the beating of his wings forced it down towards the vortex.

Khamûl smirked as flames coloured the sky above him. He breathed in and let out a cloud of violet smoke. He guided it towards the vortex centre before igniting it.

Crack!

Lightning tore up a mountain wall.

Rocks fell to the ground.

CRASH!

They increased the power they were sending towards the energy vortex.

In the distance a pained scream could be heard, but the men were so into what they were doing that they didn't notice.

…

CRASH!

"Aaahh," Haryn opened his eyes and sat up. The crash had woken him up, and now that he was awake, he could feel his skin burn. He whimpered as his body curled together. _'Hurts… hurts so much,'_ he thought. Something moved next to him and he twisted away from it. "Argh!" he screamed. Moving hurt so much. Tears ran down his face and he whimpered again. Somewhere he could hear a low whine like a dog or maybe… "Moony," he whispered. He could hear another whimper. He turned around regardless of the pain he knew would shoot through him. "Mo…ney," he whimpered as he reached out towards the big wolf. Big yellow eyes looked down at him; they flickered asparagus green for a moment. The raven reached out and grabbed on to the wolf's fur before pulling himself closer to the canine. He buried his face in the soft fur as he curled up against the pain.

Moony sniffed at the young man's hair. His cub was in pain. But it wasn't coming from the outside so there was nothing he could do about it but offer comfort. He whined again as he curled around the teen's shaking body. In all truth he wasn't feeling to good himself. He was pretty certain that it was still daytime so how come he was there and not Remus. He lay his head down and closed his eyes. A deep sigh escaped him.

* * *

Green eyes opened slowly. The raven sighed contentedly. He was warm and comfortable. His fingers ran through the soft fur he was resting against. He jerked back into a sitting position as he realised just who and what he was resting against. Bright emerald eyes met asparagus green. "Moony," Haryn said softly as he held a hand out towards the huge wolf's head. He froze mid motion. His hand was black and his nails long and sharp. He screamed and moved back until he hit the cave wall. Both his hands were black with long claws, and when he looked down at his feet, they were just as black as his hands. He closed the long clawed feet; they looked like they belonged to some kind of huge scaled bird with three long claws to the front and one toe going back. He guessed he could actually grab on to things with them if he learned how.

'Cub.'

Haryn looked up at the wolf that was now towering above him. "Moony you…" he didn't quite know what to say. The wolf wasn't attacking him and he could see the sunlight streaming in from the cave entrance. "How are you here now?" he asked as he pulled himself up in a standing position. He was glad that he had a wall behind him because his feet felt really unsteady. Even standing Moony towered above him. The wolf had to be at least as big as a horse.

'Are you alright, cub?' Moony asked.

The raven nodded. "I… I think so," he said. "But how…how about you? What happened to Remus?" he asked. He was hoping that he didn't insult the wolf.

Moony opened his moth in a wolf grin. 'I am Remus, cub,' he said. 'And I am Moony.' He tilted his head to the side as he heard something outside. He moved his body so he was standing between his cub and whatever it was that was approaching. He bared his teeth menacingly.

"Calm down, we're not going to harm you."

"Dada," Haryn exclaimed. He only managed to take a few steps towards the man on his unsteady feet before he fell forward. "Aarhhhh," he called out in surprise as his clawed hands grabbed onto Moony's fur. He was glad that the beast's coat was thick. "I'm O.K." he mumbled from the wolf's side as his father walked up next to him.

"A little unsteady there are we?" Sauron said laughingly. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the teen. "It's good to see you back to the way you're supposed to be. I was worried you'd be stuck looking like a human," he said as he raised his hands and ran them through the boy's hair. He smirked as he felt the boy's horns peak up through his thick raven locks. "Come here bérren-ka let's get out of here," he said. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist and helped him out of the cave.

Haryn stumbled several times as they walked out of the cave and up a small path. He didn't fall though since his father caught him every time he staggered. He dug his talons into the ground. His feet ached. They hadn't been walking for long, but he didn't know for how long he would be able to keep going. They had stopped now because of a collapse over the path.

'You are in pain, cub,' Moony said as he stopped next to the raven.

Green eyes were wide as they looked up at the wolf. People didn't usually either care or notice when he was in pain. He was so used to not mentioning it that he no longer noticed really. He knew he was in pain of course, but he'd long ago stopped trying to let other know about it. Back at the Dursleys he'd just been hurt worse if he said anything. They called it whining. And at Hogwarts they fixed him up when it became so bad there was no other way of dealing with it, but no one really cared about him enough to help him fix his old injuries up. "Yeah," he whispered with a small nod.

Moony lay down on the ground. 'Get up on my back cub. You can't keep walking like that,' he said sternly.

Haryn chuckled softly. "O.K. o.k. grumpy," he said. He moved away from his father and grabbed the wolf's fur before pulling himself up on the beasts back. "Now how am I supposed to stay up heeehaaar," he said as Moony stood up. He grabbed on to the wolf's fur tightly as his legs squeezed tight. He so did not want to fall off.

'You should let you father know that you're hurting, cub. He cares about you; he'll listen,' Moony said.

The raven turned to his father biting his lip. What was he supposed to say really? He opened his mouth. He guessed just saying it would be the easiest.

A laughter rang through the air.

Haryn could hear Moony sigh deeply. He looked over at Khamûl who'd just appeared on top of the rubble in front of them. "Well that will make things easier for now," the man said once he'd stopped laughing. "But how did you manage to convince him it was a good idea to let you up there, Haryn-ka?"

The raven lowered his gaze down to his scaled hands. "It was his idea," he said softly.

"You're telling me you can speak to him?" Khamûl asked disbelievingly.

Haryn nodded slowly. "You mean you guys can't understand him?" he said as if the idea hadn't even occurred to him before then. His father looked up at him warmly. "No, bérren-ka we cannot understand him," he said.

"Oh, O.K." the raven said. He swung his legs back and forth a few times. "He told me to climb up on him cause he noticed that my feet were hurting." He could feel how a hand reached out for him instantly. The warm palm ran up and down his leg in a soothing motion. He twitched as another hand touched the foot that went down the other side of the wolf. "You're bleeding!" Khamûl exclaimed. He looked up at the boy. "Why haven't you said something before now," he said a deep growl meeting his words.

"Hush, Moony," Haryn said softly as he petted the wolf. He looked down at the iron-haired man. "I haven't said anything because no one has actually cared before," he said his voice coming out angrier than he had intended. He could feel his father's hand stop moving. He turned his head towards the red-haired man. Fiery-orange eyes were hard and cold in anger but as soon as the man noticed his son's eyes on him he took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Never again," he said. "I don't want you to have to question your worth ever again my son."

The raven nodded slowly. What was he supposed to say to that really? He knew it would take time to get used to having people who actually care about him. He guessed it was a good thing that Remus had decided to come with him. He could always trust the wolf to keep the others away if he really needed it. He could feel a chill moving up from the foot that Khamûl was still holing on to. He looked down at the man, who looked back up at him with magenta eyes. "I'm healing you Haryn-himon," he said softly. "You shouldn't have to suffer because we won't stop and rest."

The raven nodded. "Thank you," he said. Then his eye brows furrowed. "What does himon mean anyway?" he asked.

Sauron laughed heartily. He shook his head and smiled up at his son. "It is an honorific used for the rulers of our people," he said. "Literary it means 'one who commands and protects'," he said. "It is generally used for the entire ruling family though lower class citizens may use it for Khamûl here and Dowaim who are my generals and advisors since they speak for me, bérren-ka."

Haryn nodded. "And that means what?" he asked. "Bérren-ka what is…?"

Sauron smiled. "Bérren means fire or flame while ka is used after a word instead of saying little before it," he explained.

"So, nano-ka is your little brother then?" Haryn said. "And you keep calling me little flame. Is there a word for big then?"

The fiery-eyed man nodded. "You're catching on quickly," he said with a smile, "and the word for big is hī." Sauron turned his gaze forward. "We should get going," he sighed. "It's a long way home." He moved up to and over the loose rocks that blocked their path. He and Khamûl would have no problems moving over the obstacle and he doubted that the wolf would have much trouble either. They had only stopped earlier because Haryn would have trouble moving over the bumpy path. The boy had problems enough walking on flat ground right now.

…

They'd been moving for hours. The sun was long since gone beyond the horizon. Haryn had fallen asleep where he lay on top of Moony. The wolf offered him more then enough heat for him to be comfortable.

Soft paws moved over the ground softly. The beast was well aware of the fact that his cub had fallen asleep, and he did not wish to wake the boy up. His big ears moved slightly as he heard feet approaching them. It was probably another canine, but he couldn't be sure about that – the wind was blowing the wrong direction. He stopped and growled softly to warn the dragon-men he was walking with.

They stopped immediately. A hand landed on his flank. "Is it dangerous?" Sauron asked as he looked out into the darkness.

Moony shrugged. He couldn't really answer to that question in a good way. His asparagus green eyes roamed over the darkness; there was someone out there. A small shape moved around its head bent to the ground.

"Sirius!" a cry tore through the still night air.

Moony huffed as the young man on his back tumbled off. The teen stumbled forward unsteadily. "Padfoot, come here," he called out.

The creature lifted its head, and before any of the others could even comprehend what was going on, it launched forward. Landing on top of the raven, the beast now hid the teen from their view. Moony rushed forward snarling menacingly as he went. He would not let his cub come to harm.

"Hhahahahaha, stop it Padfoot that's icky," Haryn cried as the hound licked his face happily. He reached out and wrapped his arms around the big black dog. "I'm glad you're O.K." he whispered then his nose scrunched, "but you really need a bath. You stink." The dog moved away from him and looked at him with big pleading eyes. "Oh, don't think that is going to work mister," he said. "I'll just get Moony to chase you to the nearest water source." He looked up at the huge wolf. "Right Moony?" he said.

The wolf snorted. He walked up to the black canine slowly. 'Foolish mutt,' he murmured as he nuzzled the other's neck.

'Hey, how come you've grown,' Padfoot said jealously. He pouted. 'Why can't I be that big too, huh?' He looked over to his godson. 'Harry, fix this,' he whined.

The raven snorted. "Yeah, sure cause I know how to do that," he said. He tilted his head to the side. "You know it might be a good thing that you're smaller. Moony won't be able to go with me inside places as big as he is you know." He moved back a bit and stood up unsteadily. A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked back up into his father's orange eyes. "It's Sirius," he said and pointed to the dog.

Sauron nodded before wrapping his arms around his son. "Don't just run off like that. There are a lot of dangerous creatures roaming around here, and I don't want you to get hurt. Once you've got better control I'll reconsider but for now you'll stay with us…" he looked up at the wolf and hound, "or you canine friends," he said somewhat sternly.

Haryn tilted his head to the side and bit his bottom lip. Then he nodded as he said, "O.K. dada I will I promise." He had wanted family and with that came rules, he knew. At least his father's rule made sense unlike most of the rules back at the Dursleys. His green eyes travelled back to the black mutt. "What?" he exclaimed.

'Who is that?' Padfoot asked.

"My father," Haryn answered. "You know I had to have one before Lily and James adopted me." He tilted his head. "We're…" his brows furrowed. He turned and looked up at his father, "what are we?" he asked.

"We're Shrāl, son," Sauron answered. He looked over his shoulder at Khamûl as the man walked up to them. "We should get going. Something is coming this way," the iron haired man said softly. The redhead nodded. He looked back down at his son. "We need to get a move on. Will you get back up on…"

"Moony," Haryn filled his father in. "And that is Padfoot." He pointed to the dog. "It would feel weird to call them by their human names when they aren't human," he added quietly. He walked up to the big sand-coloured wolf and waited for the beast to lie down before climbing up on his back.

The party took off running. There was still a long way to go before they got home.

…

Splash!

"I told you, you needed a bath," Haryn said triumphantly as a black head broke the water surface. He turned around wide eyed as he heard paws approaching him swiftly. "Oh, no you don aaaaaaahhh."

Splash! He'd been pushed into the water. _'Brrr, freezing,'_ he thought. He turned his head towards the surface and swam up. Pulling in a deep breath to replace the air that had been knocked out of him when he fell in, he made his way back to land. He pulled himself up his teeth clattering like crazy. He wasn't built to handle cold like that. The trip though the Black Lake in his fourth year at Hogwarts had nearly killed him. His body curled together in an attempt to warm up.

'See that wasn't all that fun now was it?' Padfoot said as he walked up to the raven. 'Pup, hey pup are you,' he pressed his nose to the teen's ice cold cheek. He lifted his head and let out a shrill bark before lowering his head once more. 'Come on Harry hold on we'll fix this,' he said worriedly. Moony came walking up to them and Padfoot looked up. "Why did you push him in?' the dog said accusingly. 'Just look at him he looks like an ice cube.'

Moony blinked in surprise before lowering his head. He'd barely touched the teen when he took off running. He needed to fetch the boy's father and fast. He barked as he came up closer to the two dragon-men.

The red-haired one looked up at him concern filling his eyes when he couldn't see his son. "Has something happened?" he asked. The wolf nodded vigorously and the man stood up. "Show me," he said and then they were running.

Sauron picked up his speed as he saw his son lying by the river bank. He fell down next to the boy and reached out. His eyes travelled to the water as he picked his son's freezing form up. He looked up at the wet dog. "That," he said and pointed at the water, "can not happen again until he can control his powers. Cold can kill a Shrāl our bodies aren't made to deal with it. We're made to withstand immense heat. Cold is no problem once we're old and experienced enough to warm our bodies up but Haryn can't do that yet," he explained as steam started rising from the body in his arms. He stood up slowly still holding the boy and started walking back to the camp that he and Khamûl had set up.

The iron-haired man looked up at them when they got closer to him. "What has happened?" he asked worriedly as he saw the little raven in his Lord's arms.

"They decided to play in the water," Sauron said as he sat down carefully.

"At this time of year are they suicidal," Khamûl said. He reached out for the raven. "Let's make sure he hasn't caught anything," he said. The teen was shifted around so that he could grab on to the boy's shoulders and pull him down into his lap. He placed his hands on the boy's chest. His eyes closed as his senses travelled down to scan the teen. His brows furrowed as he found that the boy had ribs that hadn't healed right and scaring on the organs. It wasn't a question of if the teen needed his help it was more like where the hell should he start.

Sauron moved his hands slowly along his son's sides. He noticed how Khamûl's brows furrowed and wondered what was wrong.

Pink eyes opened slowly. "There is so much wrong that I don't even know where to start," the man said. "He's fine for now but he's going to have to spend several days in a healing coma once we get back home."

Sauron nodded slowly. He did not like what his friend's scan implied. Those humans were lucky they'd closed the rift off. He would have travelled back and done some rather lasting rearranging otherwise. He smiled softly as green eyes blinked open slowly. "Welcome back to the living bérren-ka," he said relived.

The raven hummed. He was tired and his chest felt sore. Though he was sure that, considering where he lay, Khamûl had healed anything that might have been wrong with him. "Mmmm, tired," he mumbled. His father laughed softly. "Then sleep bérren-ka," he said.

* * *

Sauron walked through the halls of Minas Morgul's citadel. He was on his way to his son's room. It was time to wake the teen back up. His little dip in Carnen had brought back lung problems he hadn't experienced in quite a while; at least that was what his son had said. The boy had been almost catatonic by the time they had reached the city.

"Master Sauron a group of Haradrim has appeared by the gates. Your presence is requested by Lord Dowaim."

Sauron turned towards the man. "Inform Dowaim to let the men in and deal with them for now. I will join him once I have made certain that my son is in good health," he said. "Hopefully Haryn will be able to appear before our people before the end of the week."

"Of course my Lord," the man said before turning around and leaving.

The redhead continued down the corridor thinking, _'Really Dowaim you're well aware of the fact that Haryn is waking up today.'_ He knew, however, that the man had a lot on his mind and many things to deal with, and he usually handled new additions to their city. He walked up to an ornate door with purple lilies twisting down along the frame. He placed a black-scaled hand on the silvery doorknob and pushed the door open. Stepping inside, his eyes met with a magenta gaze. "How is he doing?" he asked worriedly.

Khamûl smiled sympathetically. "He should be waking up anytime now," he said. His dark-purple hand ran through the raven's hair.

The bed dipped on the other side off the teen as Sauron sat down. He reached out and clutched Haryn's black-scaled hand. They sat there listening to the teen's soft breathing as it slowly picked up indicating that the boy was waking up. The hand in Sauron's grasp flexed before the clawed fingers tightened around his own. Slowly bright green eyes opened. They blinked a few times before closing shut tightly. "'s bright," the raven groaned. His free arm came up to cover his eyes.

Sauron chuckled. "Wait a moment and I'll fix it," he said.

Haryn nodded. He lowered his arm slowly so he would notice when it got darker. The bed shifted beside him as his father moved. A shadow fell over his face. He opened his eyes again. There was a big black wing suspended above him. It looked almost like a bats just not as frail. He reached out his movements slow because of the stiffness in his muscles. Fingers brushed against the leathery surface. The wing folded down over him and a soft giggle escaped his lips. "Dada, stop it," he said. His body turned towards the dip in the bed. Arms reached out and grabbed onto him before he was lifted up into a warm embrace. Leathery wings settled against his back. They kept the bright daylight from hurting his eyes.

"How are you felling?" Sauron asked. He tightened his hold on the boy and lowered his head down so he was resting it against soft raven locks. A soft hum reached his ears.

The raven breathed in deeply. A hand reached up and settled over his chest. The heaviness was gone. He could actually breathe freely. "I'm feeling much better now," he said. "Nothing hurts anymore." He looked up at his father his green eyes filled with wonder.

Sauron raised a hand and ran it through his son's black locks. "You'll have to thank Khamûl for that. He was the one who healed you," he said.

Haryn turned around in his fathers lap and rolled his eyes with a huff. "How am I supposed to thank him when I can't see him dada?" he asked. He received a deep chuckle in response before the dark wings separated and let light back in. Green eyes looked over the bed to the iron-haired man on the other said. "Thank you, Khamûl," he said. He could see how the man's magenta eyes softened. "It is good to see you awake once more Haryn-himon," Khamûl said. The raven smiled softly. His eyes travelled down to his legs. "I guess I still can't walk on those though," he said as he reached out towards his feet.

"It's simply a matter of practice, son. Don't worry about it," Sauron said. He looked up at Khamûl. "Dowaim has requested my presence. We have guests. I should go there and relive him so he can deal with whatever it is he has on the agenda for today." He shifted Haryn around and ruffled the boy's hair. "I'll be back later. I hope it's O.K. that I'm leaving you with Khamûl," he said.

Haryn nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it's fine," he said before moving off his fathers lap. He watched as the man left before turning towards the magenta eyed Shrāl sitting next to his bed. "So what do we do now?" he asked.

…

Haryn was walking down one of the many streets in Minas Morgul. He smiled at children and bowed his head lightly at the grown-ups. They didn't know who he was yet. He could just imagine how his little trip would have turned out if they'd known he was Sauron's son. He grimaced. _'Wonderful.'_ He so looked forward to being introduced to the people. He quickly sidestepped a small dark-skinned boy, who came running from a side alley. The child disappeared in the crowd within seconds. _'At least I can walk around without falling over now,'_ he though humorously. It had taken him several weeks to manage that. His balance was completely off. It was a good thing that the clawed feet he now spotted were big because he doubted he'd be standing at all otherwise.

Rubbing his brow, his thought went back to the lesson he'd attended earlier. He was glad that he was still considered a young child and as such didn't have to do a lot of the things that would later be requested of him. He wasn't entirely certain he would ever be able to be comfortable with formal settings but he'd try for his father's sake. He kept on walking lost in thoughts and therefore didn't notice as a horse broke away from its master and came galloping up the street.

The raven's body was thrown back, and he hit the pavement with a groan. _'At least I didn't hit my head,' _he thought as he sat up slowly. His chest and back hurt. _'Khamûl is gonna kill me.'_ he ran an hand through his hair and breathed in deeply. He looked up with a confused look on his face as a young man stopped next to him and started talking complete gibberish. "Hey… hey …HEY calm down I don't understand a word you're saying," he said finally raising his voice to make himself heard.

The young man quieted down and blinked at him a few times. "I…sorry," he said in broken –what Haryn would have called English but he guessed it was called something else in this world. "You… hurt… I not mean to let go of…" he said a name that the raven didn't quite catch.

Haryn smiled at him. "I am fine you don't need to worry about me," he said. He shifted so he could stand up. His chest protested, but he was way too stubborn to admit that he was injured. "What is you name by the way?" he asked.

Grape-coloured eyes looked up at him as the boy tilted his head so that his copper hair fell away from a pointed ear. "My name… Imarill," he said pointing at himself. "What yours?" he asked as he moved his had so he was pointing at the raven.

"I am Haryn," the raven answered. His eyes went up from the teen as an older man walked up behind the other. He said something in what the raven had to assume was elvish. The man's tone was harsh, and the young man lowered his gaze to the cobblestone street. He stood there listening to the melodic language for a moment before he'd decided he'd had enough. "There's no need to be so mean to him," he said.

Purple eyes narrowed as they looked up at the raven. The man sneered at him. "How I handle my own family is none of your business lizard," he said irritably.

A raven brow rose. "That may be true but then you shouldn't treat your son like shit in the middle of the street, sir," Haryn said. He didn't care who was doing the bullying. He was not going to stand it, and it didn't matter what language it was in he recognised bullying when he saw it. "Especially if you don't want someone to get involved."

The man looked at him with contempt. "A street lizard dare tell me how to raise my child. You better watch your mouth our you might lose your tongue," he said threateningly.

Haryn tilted his head to the side. "I highly doubt it sir," he said. He moved his gaze from the man and realised that they'd gathered quite the crowd. He grimaced.

"Finally realising this was no so good an idea lizard," the man said.

Green eyes moved back to meet his purple ones. They rolled in annoyance. "I just happen to hate crowds that's all," he said. His eyes widened as he heard paws touching the pavement behind him. _'Oh, shit,'_ he thought. It seemed like someone had realised he'd wandered off. It didn't take long for the gigantic wolf to break through the crowd and stop next to him. He gulped. "Ehhh," he said. "I'm sorry for wandering off."

Moony growled at him menacingly. 'You father is requesting your presence,' he said coldly. His asparagus-green eyes moved over the raven as the boy walked up to him. 'You have been injured,' he stated.

Haryn nodded slowly. "Imarill's horse pulled out of his grip and ran me over," he said. He knew that trying to brush it off with the wolf would just make things worse. _'Why did I want people to care about me again?'_ he wondered. He knew he wasn't kidding anyone with those kind of comments though. He loved the attention he was getting these days.

'You have managed to gather quite the crowd,' Moony said as he looked around them. 'You must have done more than just fallen.'

Haryn sighed before he explained what had been going on quietly. "Will you carry me… please," he said once he was done. "I needed to get out of the citadel. It was getting all suffocating. I'm sorry I didn't let you or Padfoot know I was going out that was stupid of me."

Moony sighed. It was really hard for him to stay angry at his cub especially when most of the anger had been born out of fear in the first place. He knew that there shouldn't be anything that would hurt the raven in the city so it should be O.K. for the boy to walk around in there. 'Climb up,' he said softly before lowering his body down to aid the teen.

Haryn climbed up and looked over at Imarill. "I'll see you later Imarill, O.K. My father has ideas about where I should be right now," he said to the young elf. He waved goodbye before Moony carried him off.


	6. Minas Morgul

**Minas Morgul**

Haryn sighed. He'd been dressed up in some sort of extravagant robes and… it was just uncomfortable. Why his father wanted him to wear something so unpractical was beyond him. Even the stupid crown on his brow irritated him. Did he really need that thing? A hand landed on his shoulder, and he looked up into black eyes. "I feel like a store manikin that someone wrapped fabric around. What is the point of this really?" he asked as he held his arms out. "If I have wings all this fabric would just be in my way, and if my fire suddenly decides it's a good idea to start working, it'll all just combust."

Dowaim rolled his eyes. "It is traditional garb Himon-ka," he said. "You should wear them proudly." He reached out and fixed one of the knots that had decided to loosen as the raven moved around.

"Wizarding robes were traditional back on Earth, and they were stupid because they got you killed. I don't see the difference besides it's not like we need clothes like this. And I don't feel the need to flaunt my wealth or whatever other bullshit reason we have for wearing these things," Haryn said.

"Watch your language young man," Dowaim scolded lightly. His eyes softened. "It's only for a day I'm sure you'll survive," he said.

The raven sighed once more, somewhat resigned to his fate.

The white haired man moved up in front of him. "Remember to wait until your father has announced you before walking out now," Dowaim said. He received a nod before he walked out of the room to join the King. He walked into the throne room and stopped next to his lord. "He's ready, though, he's complaining a lot," he told Sauron.

The red-haired man chuckled softly. "It is to be expected," he said. "I can remember being quite the annoyance to my parents when I was young. Haryn is far more well-behaved than I was."

"Thank heavens for the small miracles," Dowaim said as he looked out over the hall. It was filling with people slowly. All races were represented in there. Shrāl, elves and humans, a dwarf or two even, though, they didn't get many of those. The people they got were the ones who had been driven from their homes or at times entire tribes who had nowhere else to go. Footsteps approached him and his eyes moved up to meet with Khamûl's magenta ones.

"How's the Prince?" the iron haired man asked.

"He's doing O.K." Dowaim said. "He's pulling at the clothes, but apart from that he's fine."

Khamûl chuckled softly but quieted down as Sauron started talking.

…

Haryn walked back and forth. He was not happy with this thing, but his father really wanted him to do this. So, he'd do his best. He closed his eyes and listened to the murmur of voices outside.

"…. therefore I'm happy to say that we found my son, and he's with here now… Haryn would you please come out here?" Sauron said.

The raven pulled in a deep breath and walked out through the door slowly. He held his head high and tried his best to ignore the people in the hall. He walked up past Khamûl and Dowaim before stopping next to his father. He looked out over the sea of people.

…

"Come here son stop dragging your feet behind," a black haired man said. His son looked up at him with grape-coloured eyes. "I'm coming father," he said as he pulled his boots on. "I'm sorry." He ran up to the older man.

A dark hand reached out and grabbed a hold of the doorknob before pulling the door open. "The King has called us. This is not the time to be dilly-dallying," he said.

"I know father I'm sorry," Imarill said softly. He reached out and took his father's hand. His copper hair fell down in front of his eyes. They walked up the cobblestone street towards the citadel. Purple eyes scanned the walls as they walked. They were going to see the Prince that day. He was excited. They said that the Prince was young. Not that he understood how that could be since they also said that he'd been lost ages ago. He didn't get how that worked.

Their feet led them through several arches and open gates that would only ever close if the city was under attack. The courtyard in front of the citadel was full of people streaming into the tall building half built into the wall. They couldn't even see the fountain that stood in the middle of the courtyard.

Imarill fell in line behind his father. He tried to make himself as small as possible. The citadel always gave him the creeps. Not that he'd gone there often. The flow of people moved in slowly and, they went with it.

Grape-coloured eyes roamed over the white drapes hanging from the ceiling. Imarill almost bumped into his father as the man stopped. He looked up at the dark-haired man as his fingers tangled into the man's coat. The throne room was really intimidating. His purple eyes landed on the man standing before the throne. The Shrāl King was majestic with his dark-red hair, black scales and long curvy horns going up in the air with a second pair going down behind his head. The man was talking, but Imarill wasn't that good at Westron. He blocked the man's voice out as good as he could since it made so little sense to him. He was O.K. with a one to one conversation, but this just made no sense to him. Instead he looked at the people around them. Everyone had really nice clothes on. They wore a lot of gold and coloured stones. Many of the men and women around him looked ridiculous. And then he heard his father curse under his breath in elvish. His eyes rose to the throne and he froze. There standing next to the King was the young teen that Hermir had run over a few days earlier. His grape-coloured eyes widened._ 'That's why he wasn't scared of ada,' _he thought.

The teen turned to look out over the crowd. A shill went down Imarill's spine something wasn't right. he didn't know what it was, but the teen felt all wrong – nothing like how he'd been a few days earlier. He'd been kind and his presence had felt warm. Now, however, it felt cold and distant with a hit of something he could quite describe.

The King said something, and the crowd started moving towards another room. Imarill grabbed a hold of his father and made sure not to lose him. He could hear voices all around him talking to each other. From time to time he could hear Haryn's name mentioned as people talked. His father pulled out a chair for him and he sat down. "Thank you," he said in Sindarin. He looked around them nervously while trying not to look as uneasy as he was. The food before him looked good. He breathed in deeply savouring the smell.

* * *

Haryn's eyes moved over the table before lowering down to the plate in front of him. He'd barely touched the food. He could hear them talking. Everyone was mumbling, whispering. He couldn't take it anymore. He stood up slowly. He knew that it wouldn't look good for him to walk away in the middle of the meal, but he just couldn't stay. He walked out of the hall swiftly. As soon as he was out of peoples view he started grabbing at his clothes to pull them off. His feet led him back to his room where he dumped most of the stupid fabric they'd wanted him to wear. He disappeared down one of the servant corridors. It was the fastest way out of the citadel. Once he'd gotten outside he started running. His head was spinning and his ears were ringing. The only thing on his mind was the need to get away.

Clawed feet carried him down the cobblestone streets all the way out of the city. Green eyes scanned the area for a place to hide. The mountainsides around him might be able to give him the cover he needed but what he really wanted was a forest or trees at least. He hadn't even noticed the tears that had started running down his face. He couldn't see the road anymore. Everything was a blur.

The road got bumpy, and the raven stumbled and fell. "Argh," he cried out as he hit the ground. He breathed in with a whimper and pulled himself up in a sitting position before reaching up with an arm and whipping the tears from his face. _'Why the fuck am I crying?'_ he wondered angrily. He hated how people could affect him like that. It had been a long time since he'd cried because of the talking and whispering. _'I wanted to make father happy not…'_ He stood up slowly and started moving once more. He just wanted to get to a forest.

Finally making it out of the mountain range, he looked around. Grass. There was nothing but the stuff for miles. There might be a river in the distance but no forest. Haryn fell down on his knees and ran his hands through his hair. "I just want the damn forest," he growled. The Forbidden Forest had always been his escape, and now they lived so he couldn't travel to a forest. Right now he just wanted to disappear.

…

Sauron looked towards the door that his son had disappeared through. It had been much longer than it should have since the raven left.

"I'll go check on him my Lord," Khamûl said quietly before standing up. "It would not look good if you were to leave as well." He disappeared through the servant entrance which was the same Haryn had disappeared through sometime earlier. He moved up to the boy's bedroom. "Haryn are you in there?" he asked as he knocked on the door. There was no response. "Haryn?" He reached down and opened the door. "Haryn?" he said his eyes falling on the clothes scattered all over the floor. He reached down and picked the fabric up. _'These are the clothes that he was wearing down at dinner,'_ the iron-haired man thought. He moved out of the room. A servant walked by and he reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Excuse me Maya but have you seen Haryn anywhere?" he asked.

Amber eyes widened. "No Khamûl-zenó not since before dinner," she answered him.

Khamûl sighed. "If you see him will you tell him I'm looking for him?" he asked her.

"Of course sir," Maya answered before moving on.

"Thank you," Khamûl said. He closed his eyes. _'Where did you go himon-ka?' _he wondered. Shaking his head in concern, he decided that it would be best if he found the Prince's canine friends. It would be easier for them to find the boy especially now that Haryn had realised how to close his father off when he wanted to. His feet carried him down to the courtyard before he headed to the house that had been changed for the gigantic wolf. "Moony! Padfoot!" he called out as he reached the house. The black mutt came walking out of the house yawning as he went. "Haryn has disappeared will you go look for him?" the iron-haired man asked.

Gray eyes snapped to attention. 'Moony Haryn is gone,' he barked.

The wolf was out of the house in seconds. 'Will you search through the citadel? I'm going to travel down through the city,' he asked Padfoot. The dog nodded before taking off. Moony didn't stand around either. He knew that Harry liked to wander around in the city and the teen had a tendency to go to specific locations so he would be checking those out first.

…

'He's not here either,' Moony growled as he left a small garden located two circles below the citadel. _'We've been here for about a month and cub has already managed to find enough hiding spots to confuse us,' _he thought. Then his nose picked up a familiar scent. 'Harry!' he growled before taking off after the scent.

_'__What were you thinking,'_ the wolf thought as he followed the scent out of the city. He was starting to get seriously worried. What if Harry had gotten hurt? What if humans had found him? He knew there were humans in a city by the river no more than twenty-five miles away. He picked up speed as he ran over the stone bridge leading through the mountain pass away from the city. Heavy paws hit the rough stone beneath the wolf as he ran. The mountains gave way to open grassland. The sky was blue with only a few clouds. The sun was bright as it descended towards the horizon slowly.

Asparagus-green eyes roamed over the open plain before him. _'Harry cub where have you gotten to. You don't know what's out there, and you can't defend yourself,'_ he thought. His feet were still carrying him with the scent. The track curved and went back towards the mountains. _'Just please be O.K.' _he thought. The scent led him up amongst the rocks surrounding the mountain range's base.

Laying against one of the big boulders was a little curled up black ball. Moony moved up closer to the ball. It was shaking slightly, and he could smell salt. He moved up closer to the distressed teen. Laying down next to his cub, he curled up surrounding the boy. At the very least he could hide the boy from sight completely.

"I just wanted to make dada happy," Haryn whispered. "He really wanted to present me to his people…" The raven moved out of his tight ball and reached out to bury himself in the soft sand-coloured fur. "I can't… you know… why do they always have to whisper and talk… I just wanted to be me … be happy. I liked it when dada came to save me … why did he have to be a King?" he whispered. "All I wanted was a chance at a normal life. I never wanted to be special."

Moony sighed. Why did his cub's life have to be so complicated? 'Maybe you should tell him that it makes you uncomfortable to be around so much people,' he suggested softly. 'None of us wants you to feel miserable, and this is not something we want to ever happen again. Everyone is worried about you cub,' he said carefully so it wouldn't sound like he was angry.

"I just wanted to get to a forest. I always escaped to the Forbidden Forest back at Hogwarts. It was soothing… but there is none around here," Haryn mumbled miserably. "I hate this. Hate feeling like this."

Moony sighed and closed his eyes as he rested his head against his front paws. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't just drag the distressed teen back there that wouldn't do the boy any good. 'You should open your senses up to you father so he doesn't worry to death,' he said softly.

"He'll be so disappointed Moony," Haryn said. Then he scoffed, "What use am I if I can't even dine with our people?" He turned his head away from the wolf side. "I can't access my magic. I can't help with the city. I can't deal with people… he'd be better off without me around… all I am is a burden anyway."

The wolf snorted. 'You're very foolish if you truly believe that Harry. Your father loves you, and you know it. How is all this self-pity going to help with anything, cub?' he asked sternly. 'I know what it is like, and you saw what I did to myself. It was foolish then and you knew that. You even pointed it out to me. Don't you see you're doing the same thing yourself now,' he'd growled the last part and immediately regretted that he'd used that tone. Green eyes looked up at him hurt swimming in their mesmerizing depths.

The raven stood up shakily. He stumbled back and hit the rock behind him before steadying himself. "I knew that you would find me," he said darkly. "I thought you'd be able to understand what I'm going through, but you obviously do give a fuck about my feelings in this. Everyone is happy as long as I play the role they want me to play… but as soon as I fall apart and need help all you can do is criticise me." he stumbled away from the wolf. "Just leave me alone. I'm tired of this. 'Be the Hero the one who will save us. The-Boy-Who-Lived'. 'Be the Prince.' It's all the fucking same Harry, Haryn no one will let me just be me. I'm fucking tired of it."

Moony stood up slowly. 'So you will run away hide from the world. Or get yourself killed out there because you're too stubborn to see that we want to help you. We love you Harry, you know that. And I do understand,' he growled as he leaped and pushed the teen down on the ground beneath him. 'I understand that you're hurting Harry but running isn't going to solve anything.' He froze as the scent of blood reached his nostrils. _'Oh, no,' _he thought. 'I'm sorry Harry I didn't mean to hurt you,' he said as he lowered his head to cheek were the blood was coming from.

"Get the fuck away from me!" Haryn hissed angrily. He pulled himself up and away from the wolf. "Just get the fuck away from me!" he shouted.

Moony looked at him with sad eyes. 'I can't do that cub,' he said. 'I won't leave you out here on your own.'

"Don't you get it I'm tired of you guys always changing always wanting something from me just piss off!" Haryn shouted.

The wolf moved forward. He wasn't going to abandon his cub out there. His ears moved back and a low growl left his throat instinctually as the air around them heated up. It took him a moment to realise that the heat was streaming from the raven-haired teen in front of him. His eyes widened as a streak of black flames shot out over the ground towards him. Jumping back he started in horror as the flames started dancing all over Haryn's body. They spread and he was forced back even further. 'Harry!' he called.

There was no response except for the continued spreading of the flames. The wolf moved back and lay down. He couldn't leave the poor boy alone. He watched as the flames spread. He couldn't see the raven anymore.

…

Sauron closed his eyes. He'd left the citadel's great hall when Khamûl had returned saying that Haryn had disappeared. He'd tried to connect with his son's mind but nothing. He'd been closed off.

Suddenly his mind was filled with fear, self-hatred, loathing, and pain. He breathed in deeply and separated his mind from his son's. _'Haryn sweetheart what is going on?'_ he called out to the raven's mind. There was no response just overwhelming panic. He tried to focus around the panic and sense where his son was. It wasn't an easy job. Normally his connection with Haryn was strong and clear but at the moment it acted more like someone had grabbed a ball of yarn, unrolled it and throw it in a heap somewhere.

A hand rose to his forehead and rubbed against his temples as he sorted through the whirlwind of emotions coming from his child. _'Why didn't you tell me this bérren-ka? Why didn't you let me know how much the things we're doing hurts you?'_ he thought. He walked over the balcony connected to his room, opened the door and walked outside. He disrobed before stretching as his wings slowly broke free from his back. It would be much easier to find his son from the skies. He beat his wings. The air rushed past his face as he moved up above Minas Morgul. He had to find his son. The boy's emotions were getting more and more erratic, his thought were scattered. Anxiety and fear swirled through his mind. His wings beat hard as he flew out over the mountains that surrounded the city. His eyes scanned the rocks as he moved.

_'__There,'_ he thought as he saw a spiral of black flames. He pulled his wings close to his body descended towards the flames. "HARYN!" he called out as he landed. He walked straight into the flames pulling in a deep breath. _'Bérren he's powerful,' _he thought. "Haryn child," he said softly as he knelled down by the boy. "Bérren-ka why didn't you tell me?" he said with a sigh. "I love you son. I don't want you to hurt like this." He wrapped his arms around the raven tightly. "Now clam down love. I will take care of you," he whispered.

"Dada," Haryn said weakly. "Dada, I'm sorry. I wanted you to be proud of me. I'm sorry I didn't…"

"Shhshh bérren-ka don't worry about it love," Sauron said. "Just calm yourself for now. We'll talk about what happened today later." His arms tightened around the boy in his arms. "Just listen to the sound of my voice and calm yourself." He shifted his son around to a more comfortable position. "You know when I was young I tended to disappear all the time. It drove my parents mad that I would neglect my lessons only to go and explore or simply walk around with my head in the clouds. I didn't see why it was all so important," he said as he remembered. "It wasn't until my parents died that I realised what they had been trying to teach me all of that stuff." He sighed. "You're different though. You don't really need to learn responsibility you understand that already, and I doubt you really have problems with learning the things we want to teach you but maybe we're overdoing it. You're just a child after all…" He looked down at his son. The flames were gone and the boy was breathing softly. He'd fallen asleep his breakdown finally exhausting him.

* * *

Time passed.

Sauron had eventually managed to get through to Haryn.

They had talked for hours about the teen's past, about his fears. They had spoken about his hopes and dreams.

Sauron had calmed the teen's lessons down somewhat. He'd thought Haryn enjoyed it but hadn't realised that the boy's teachers were pushing him just a bit too hard. He wanted his son to learn but the boy was only fifteen. When he himself had been fifteen, he'd been running around causing trouble.

Fiery-orange eyes followed a dark-scaled teen as the boy moved in and out of different stances that were supposed to help him learn how to control his inner flame.

Calm

After the raven's breakdown it had gotten easier for him to connect to his fire-ability. He breathed in and out slowly. He was glad that Dowaim had taken over these lessons. The one who had tried to teach him before that had sneered at him and insulted him when he didn't manage. According to Khamûl that was they way the man taught his students and usually it worked pretty well. He'd just snorted. He was rather certain that if he'd gotten truly angry at the man and actually released his fire it wouldn't have ended well.

Black flames spread out over his clawed hands.

"The fire should build up inside you, Haryn-ka," Dowaim said calmly. "It is a part of you a part of who you are. Accept that it is a part of you. It will feel strange at first but don't worry about that." The man moved closer to the teen. "The power comes from here," he said as he placed his hands on his chest. "And then you breathe it out slowly." He took a deep breath before letting out a cloud of tiny frozen spikes.

Haryn smiled. He reached out and moved his hand through the ice. "Calm," he whispered as he placed his hands on his chest. "Feel the power inside me… don't fear it… accept it." He closed his eyes. It felt strange. He loved how heat felt on his skin but right now it felt like it was bubbling up inside of him and it scare him. His eyes opened and his breathing sped up. He sighed. "It doesn't work," he said disappointedly.

Sauron chuckled. "It will take time son. You can make it spread over your skin now that is good," he said. "This you can do on your own as well. Why not try it when you feel more relaxed. Like before going to bed or after waking up." He stood up slowly and walked over to the raven. "You've done a good job so far," he said as he wrapped his arms around his son. "Now I think that Khamûl wanted to see you," he said as he looked down into bright green eyes.

Haryn rolled his eyes. "He'll lecture me on ancient lore. We're studying the First Age; it's really boring," he huffed.

Dowaim laughed. "Don't say that in front of him you won't survive the lecture he'll give you," he said.

"Do you think I'm dumb, Dowaim-lei?" Haryn said with a raised eyebrow. "I won't say something so foolish to his face." A hand rose and ruffled through his hair. "That's my boy," Sauron said before letting go of him. "Now get going before he comes looking for you."

…

Haryn ran through the streets of the third level of Minas Morgul. "Come on Imerall don't fall behind!" he called back at the copper-haired dark-elf.

They had a big black dog on their tail and did not want to get caught.

Haryn sped up. His eyes caught one of the bearing beams of the outer wall, and he changed his course. He jumped and caught on to the beam. _'And now what?'_ he asked himself as he hung there. He twisted his body so that his legs grabbed on to the beam instead of his arms. "Come here Imerall!" he called. He watched as the young elf stumbled and fell. A small chuckle escaped his lips.

Imerall pulled himself up his eyes widening as he heard the dog coming closer. He looked up at Haryn. _'I'm gonna make it,'_ he thought determinedly. He jumped forward as the dog leaped towards him. Moving forward once more, he jumped up and caught on to the raven's hands. He was pulled up until he could grab on to the beam himself and pull himself up on it. He leaned down and held a hand out to Haryn. "Here I pull you up," he said. A black hand grabbed on to his, and he pulled until Haryn was sitting next to him.

The dog reached them and tried to jump up.

"Can't reach us here, can you Padfoot," Haryn said teasingly. "A deal is a deal. I got away so I get the day off."

'Moony is going to kill me,' Padfoot muttered as he looked up at the boys. He knew he couldn't reach them up there.

Haryn stood up on the beam. He looked down at his elven friend. "Let's see if we can't run along the wall back to the garden," he said as he held a hand out for the teen to take.

Imerall looked down at the street below them. He bit his lip nervously. "I do not know Haryn," he said slowly. "If we fall it will hurt a lot, and ada will get angry at me."

Haryn tilted his head to the side. "Well," he said, "You could go back down I guess, and I'll meet you there, or you could walk along the wall instead of running. That shouldn't be as dangerous."

Imerall nodded slowly. "O.K. that sound good," he said as he took the raven's outstretched hand.

Haryn let go of his friend before taking off along the beam they were standing on. He ran up on the solid stone wall and picked up his speed. The air pulled at his hair as he ran. He'd been letting it grow ever since he'd arrived in Endor. He laughed as he ran. _'Can't wait until I get my wings,'_ he thought as he ran. His eyes moved over to the people walking around on the street below. There were merchants and townsfolk. There were no beggars in Minas Morgul. The city was designed so that everyone who came there would get a home and a place to work so that the city could prosper. A lot of the people who lived in the city were those who had been cast aside, and there in the shadow of Mordor they had found a haven.

He reached the garden and threw himself forward towards one of the trees growing there. Grabbing on to one of the branches with his hands, he pulled himself around and grabbed on to another with his clawed feet. He let go with his hands so that his body hung from the branch his feet held onto – like a bat would. He was still trying to get used to the strange feet. He could run without falling now but he really wanted to learn how to fight with them. He had some really interesting ideas, and now that his body wasn't sick anymore he should be able to actually learn how to fight. He heard a laugh and looked up towards the wall. "What?" he asked Imerall.

"You look funny," the copper-haired elf said.

Haryn rolled his eyes playfully. "I'm going to get you for laughing at me," he threatened lightly. He moved so his body had a bit of momentum when he let go of the branch so that he could turn his body around and land on his feet.

…

"So what lei mean anyway?" Imerall asked.

They were lying in the garden. Haryn had been telling his friend about what he'd been up to lately when the copper-haired elf had asked.

"Huh?" the raven said as he looked over to his friend.

"You say Dowaim-lei what lei mean?" Imerall asked.

"Oh, it means teacher or learned one," Haryn answered. "Dowaim and Khamûl both teach me so that's the honorific I use for them. I don't know elves don't use honorifics like that I guess. You'd use an elvish word for Master maybe I guess."

Imerall nodded slowly. "Probably," he said. His grape-coloured eyes moved over the cloudless sky. He was glad that he'd met Haryn. He finally had a friend. He was really glad that he'd found someone who didn't care about his speech problem or thought he was just a brat. Most of the other young elves were much older than him. He turned towards the raven.

"Imarill," a voice called. "Imarill where are you son?" Whoever it was the person was speaking elvish.

"That is ada," Imarill said as he stood up. "I must go Haryn. I see you another day."

The raven sat up and nodded. "Oh, O.K. sure we'll see each other another day," he said. He lay back down and sighed. Talking to Imerall was nice. He was nothing like the other people he surrounded himself with. It was nice to have someone he could be a kid and play around with.


	7. Bonus: Back in Britain

**Back in Britain**

The Headmaster's office at Hogwarts was full of people – blabbing, foolish, waving their hands all about. They were arguing about things that could not be changed and upset about things that honestly didn't matter. Who cared that the Death Eaters were losing their magic? Or that some unknown person had showed up and taken Potter with him.

He was honestly more interested in how Potter had made his potions and why the boy had not showed his skills in class. He would never get an answer to the second question, and he wanted to be very careful about the first. Right now he just wanted to be back in his Potions Lab. These people were getting on his nerves. Their constant need to make noise was something he just didn't understand.

"The boy obviously wanted to go and managed to convince Lupin of going with him," he said. "There is little reason to continue this conversation since there is no way for us to safely go after them."

"Now see here Mr Snape. Harry is a…"

He tuned the shrill woman out. Her arguments were worthless at this point. If young man had been kidnapped by Death Eaters, then they would be valid, but now that he'd passed through the Death Veil, her little temper tantrum meant nothing. He looked down at the note that Black had sent him. 'Don't under any circumstances enter the ministry,' it read. He had thought is foolish at first. Why would he go to the Ministry? He couldn't join either side in an actual battle. Then Dumbledore and the Order had come back reporting that the Death Eaters they had been fighting had been losing their magic. According to the people retuning from the fighting, Lucius Malfoy was pretty much a squib already.

Eventually Dumbledore must have gotten tired of the senseless talking since he politely ordered people to go home and get some rest.

…

Two days later several owls flew into the Great Hall each carrying an official looking roll of parchment in their talons. They spread out over the hall landing in front of several students. Severus eyes almost widened as one of the owls landed in front of him. He didn't show his surprise though. Reaching out, he relieved the bird of its burden. It was a summoning to a will-reading. He raised an eyebrow as he recognised the name. It was Harry James Potter's will reading. When had the boy had a chance to make a will? And why was he named in it?

He shook his head. He'd find out what was going on in two days time when the will-reading took place. His eyes moved over the hall once more as he memorized who else had received a scroll.

* * *

Severus walked through the engraved sliver doors of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. His black cloak billowed as he walked through the big marble hall up to one of the goblin tellers. He placed his summons to the will reading in front of the sharp-eyed goblin and said, "I am here for Harry Potter's will-reading."

The goblin looked up at him. "Name?" he asked.

"Severus Snape," he answered.

The goblin nodded and grabbed the parchment that had been placed in front of him. "Everything seems to be in order. Highsheild come over here and escort Mr. Snape to room twenty-five," he called to another goblin.

The somewhat younger goblin came walking up to Severus. He looked up at the man with a somewhat suspicious gaze. "Well then mister wizard if you'll follow me," he said before he started walking towards one of the doors lining the walls.

They went through the door into a dimly lit corridor filled with doors. No sound came from within the rooms, but that did not necessarily mean that there were no people in the rooms. The goblins were proud of the fact that they made it impossible to overhear anything discussed in their halls. Severus was led up to a door with green vines going along the doorframe. His goblin guide opened the door and stepped to the side. The room was far brighter than the corridor before it. There was a dark-haired middle-aged goblin sitting by a desk at the far end of the room and several rows of chairs standing in front of him.

Severus walked forward and sat down in a somewhat dark corner. He was rather sure he knew who else was coming, and he did not want to sit in the middle of that. He was the first one there it would seem. He picked his wand out and checked the time. They still had ten minutes before the reading was supposed to begin. The door opened, and he turned his head slightly as Luna Lovegood walked through. The girl tilted her head to the side and smiled at absolutely nothing. She skipped forward until she was standing by the chair in the row right in front him. For a second or so he wondered what it was she saw.

Another minute or so passed before the door opened once more and Neville Longbottom entered the room. His blue eyes moved over the room, and he smiled as he saw Luna. He walked up to her and sat down beside her.

"Harry isn't dead," the blonde girl said dreamily. "But he isn't coming back either. He really wants us to have these things though."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the girl. She sounded so sure of herself. No one knew what had happened to Potter so there was a chance that he was still alive, but they wouldn't be there that day if the will hadn't activated so he had to be counted as dead. _'Or maybe they made it impossible for him to return somehow,' _he thought. That could make the will activate as well.

Neville nodded slowly. "I guess so," he said quietly. His grandmother was waiting in another room, and he guessed that Luna's dad was there as well. He shifted nervously. He knew that Professor Snape was sitting behind him which made him even more nervous.

When the door opened once more, it was Fred and George Weasley that walked through it. They were rather solemn for being them as they walking in on the same row as Severus and sat down a chair away from him.

It wasn't much longer before the goblin by the desk in front of them stopped writing, looked up at them and checked a watch. His eyes narrowed. There were several people missing. He lifted a list up and looked at the names. He sighed. "We will now begin the reading of Harry James Potter's will…" He stopped and looked up at the door as it was thrown open and several persons entered the room in an uncivilized manner. A goblin loudly tried to force a red-haired woman away from the room. "You have not been named in the will Mrs you are not allowed in the room during the reading," the young goblin said.

"Harry was like a son to me," Mrs Weasley's shrill voice sounded from the doorway. "I should be allowed in here to hear what he has to say."

Next to Severus, the Weasley twins shook their heads at their mother's behaviour. They had a brother who worked for Gringotts couldn't she at least try to act appropriate.

"You can let her in Douraxe," the goblin by the desk said after looking down at his papers. His client had left very specific instructions behind in his will. He watched as the rude woman walked in and sat down next to her youngest children. He thought it was a miracle that the Weasley that worked at Gringotts had come from this woman with the way she acted. He went back to the papers in front of him. "As I said before we were interrupted," he said coldly. "We will now begin the reading of Harry James Potter will via memory stone." He placed a multicoloured stone down at the front edge of the desk before tapping it.

A shimmering shape moved out from the stone and landed on the floor in front of them. It slowly changed from a transparent form into the young raven-haired teen they all knew. The teen turned around and smiled at them softly. "Hey everybody, I guess that by the time you're seeing this I'm no longer with you," Harry said. "Don't worry about that though. I'm probably a lot happier wherever I am now anyway. I just hope that I didn't let Voldemort stick around for anyone else to deal with." He leaned back against the desk behind him. "Now you're probably expecting me to start telling you what you've inherited, but I decided that a lot of you are getting things that I don't actually want anyone else to know that you got so I've written everyone here a letter saying exactly what you've been given. Hopefully Sparhawk has those letters ready for you now. I have a few more things to say but I'll give you a couple of minutes to read what your letter has to say. Just know that I don't mind if you share your letter with other people just please think about it first," he said before going quiet.

Several letters floated out over their heads before making their way to the witch or wizard they were meant for. Severus reached out and grabbed the letter that had been written for him.

_To Severus Snape_

It read: _I'm not going to be all fancy in this letter. I know we have never really seen eye to eye, but that was mostly because of the role I had to play. By now I do believe you have heard of Death Eaters losing their magic. I have in this letter included the poison recipe that I created to accomplish this together with a few others that I'm pretty sure don't exist already._

Severus raised an eyebrow. Now that was interesting. He would be able to study the concoction without danger to himself.

_Apart from that I also grant you a sizable sum of money that my family still had in order to further your potion research. I know that you are a Potion Master with a wide skill set but little funds to work with, and I also know that you would rather not work at Hogwarts. Therefore I have worked out a deal with the goblins for you that you can choose to accept if you so wish too. It will basically make it impossible for any human to lock you up, but you will also have to obey Goblin Law. It is completely up to you what you choose to do with this, but it is my hope that it will help you get away from those useless imbeciles you have to deal with on a daily basis. _

_Yours Sincerely _

_Lily's son, Harry _

Severus shook his head. He wasn't sure what to think about this. Maybe Harry had been more like his mother than his father after all. He looked up at the others. He seemed to have been one of the first to finish his letter. A dark eyebrow rose as he noticed the state of the youngest Weasley's. A soft chuckle escaped his lips before he could stop himself.

Next to him Fred Weasley raised his head in surprise at the sound before following his former Professor's gaze. He clamped a hand over his mouth before any sound could escape him. Reaching out he poked his twin before pointing towards their siblings. George Weasley had to cover his mouth as well.

Ron and Ginny were now dressed in frilly ballerina outfits with long bunny ears growing out of the top of their heads and little fluffy tails. The pink outfits clashed horribly with their hair, and the best thing was that they didn't seem capable of seeing it.

"That must be what Harry meant," Fred whispered before pointing at a line in their letter. "Awesome," George whispered. He looked up at Severus. "You can see it too can't you Professor?" he asked with a mischievous smile.

Severus gave a curt nod in response. "I can assume that Potter wasn't too happy with them," he said so softly it was almost impossible to hear it.

"He should have made them different colours though," Luna said softly as she turned around in her chair. "Ronald suits in sunshine yellow."

"How did you do that Luna?" Neville asked.

They looked over at Ron who was in fact yellow not pink now.

"I believe that young Ginny would suit better as a poodle," Severus said softly, and Ginny's outfit changed to fit his statement.

"I don't get this mom," Ron whined. "What did he give us really? This thing doesn't make any sense." He handed the letter over to his mother.

"Wanna bet Harry didn't give him anything," George asked his brother.

"I wouldn't say that," Severus said. "They have a very interesting charm attached to them after all."

"There I do believe that should be enough time for you to at least get the picture of what I've given you," Harry's spectra said suddenly. "What money hasn't been handed out will be given to a new foundation that I'm starting now with the reading of this will unless I've been given the chance to do so beforehand. It is the Lilium Orphan Foundation that is supposed to help those young witches and wizards who have no one to turn to because of the senseless killing that has been going on." He tilted his head to the side. "I do hope that you're all going to have fun in my stead or well you can always ask Luna what has really happened. I'm not really gone until she says so," he said with a wink in the blonde's direction – like he knew where she would sit down, or maybe Luna knew where he'd be winking to. "I believe I have given each and everyone of you exactly what you deserved. That is it bye," he said before the spectra disappeared.

Severus shook his head in amusement as the three Weasley's in the front row exploded in anger. He wondered how long it would take them to realise that they had some rather remarkable charms on them. He would have to convince Filius to not remove them.

"He's given us instructions on how to make items that will do that to people," Fred said as if he'd almost read the man's mind. "He also wrote that by accepting our letters we are immune to it," George said.

"We should leave," Luna said dreamily. She walked out with the rest of the teenagers following her.

Severus stood up slowly. He needed to speak to Sparhawk about the deal that Harry had made for him. The goblin met his eyes and a small not made its way over to him. It held another date and time. It would seem like someone had expected some sort of commotion to take place at the will reading. With his newly acquired recipes in hand and laughter dancing in the depths of his eyes, Severus left Gringotts Bank. He had some experimenting to do.


	8. Start of a Journey

**Start of a Journey**

A dark cloud was moving out over Minas Morgul. It was spreading from Mordor.

"Orcs have been gathering in Mordor for a long time now," Dowaim said.

"Haxoru must be planning something," Khamûl said.

Sauron nodded. He bent down over the map and ran a finger over Mordor. "They are gathering around Barad-dûr," he said as his finger stopped over the tower. "I don't particularly like the fact that Haxoru is using the tower that we built."

"He's been there for a while now," Dowaim said. "He must have been gathering followers for quite some time. I haven't seen that many of them before though. He must have decided to make whatever move he's been planning."

"There have been attacks on the humans living by the river lately as well. They've been going on for a few years now, but it's like it's getting more serious recently," Khamûl said. "More and more Orcs are spreading from Mordor every day."

Sauron nodded. "We have to do something," he said. He ran a hand through his red hair and sighed. "Who are the last ones to join us here?" he asked the other two. "Whoever it was might know more about what's going on away from here."

Dowaim's brows furrowed. "I can check the records if you want. I think it was a small family from the west, but I should check to make sure," he said. He moved away from the table.

Slam!

"There is a weird glowing thing on top of Barad-dûr. It is creepy and overdramatic and stupid…"

"Haryn… what were you doing in Mordor?" Sauron asked sternly.

The raven shrugged. "I was bored and it's not that difficult to get past Shelob when she knows you'll fry her if she tries something," he said as he walked up to his father. He moved a clawed hand through his shaggy shoulder-long hair. His father placed an arm around his shoulders, and he leaned into the touch. "It's not like I can't burn anything that attacks me. I may not be a grown up but I'm not incapable of defending myself anymore."

"You're nineteen, Haryn, far from a grown up," Sauron said. He sighed. "But I know better than to treat you like most of our kind would treat someone your age." He pulled his son closer. "So Haxoru has created some kind of magic device on top of Barad-dûr?"

Haryn nodded slowly. "It looks like some kind of burning eye or something," he said. "It's really ugly." He moved away from his father and slumped down in the chair behind the desk. "I'm tired. I've been on my feet for hours," he whined.

"Hush, child," Sauron said. He looked back down at the map. "Back when he tried to kill the both of us. He must have had more plans than just taking out lives."

"He did look rather upset when the human grabbed your ring my Lord," Khamûl said thinking back. "But I didn't pay that much attention to him at the time, all things considered." He walked up to the table and bent down over the map. He sighed and looked up at the raven. "Haryn go to bed… your constant yawing is highly annoying."

"Jeez, Khamûl-lei calm down. I'll get outta here don't get your horns in a twist," Haryn said as he stood up yawning once more. "I'll see you guys tomorrow," he said. He walked over to the door and stepped out of Dowaim's way.

"And where are you going young man?" the white-haired man asked.

"I'm going to bed before Khamûl gags me for being annoying," Haryn answered. "See ya' tomorrow Dowaim-lei." He walked out of the room and up a corridor. Turning left, he almost walked into Maya. "Whoa, girl," he exclaimed.

"Argh," the green-haired woman cried as she lost her footing. A hand reached out and grabbed a hold of her. She was pulled back up on her feet steadily.

"There you go Maya," the raven said as he let go of her hand. "We don't want you to get hurt, hon."

"Thank you Himon-ka," the woman said with a small smile.

"No problem," Haryn said. He sidestepped the woman. "I'm going to bed will you make sure that no one invades my room?" he said as he turned to her again.

Maya laughed. "Of course Himon-ka," she said.

"Thanks," he said before offering her a tired smile. He continued up the corridor and pushed a purple door open. Stepping into the room, he closed the door behind himself. "Urgh, tired," he moaned. He pulled his shirt off and threw it on one of the chairs by his desk before falling into bed. He moved around among his soft fluffy pillows for a while. A sigh escaped his lips as he found a good spot. Green eyes closed slowly as his breathing evened out. He hoped that his father would figure out what to do about Haxoru.

…

Green eyes moved lazily over Minas Morgul. In the study the grown-ups were talking. Haryn wasn't too interested in listening to them blab back and forth.

The sky was filled with dark clouds.

He really hoped that the air wouldn't turn the same as it was inside Mordor. It was almost impossible to breathe in there. It was so thick with smoke that he didn't actually know how the Orcs survived. _'Does he have to contaminate the world to conquer it?'_ he wondered.

A horn sounded.

Haryn pushed himself up from the roof. His father and the high advisors were in the study so they wouldn't have heard the horn. He sighed. "Oh, well someone has to deal with whoever that is," he groaned. He looked down at the lower levels of the city. As he stretched slowly, his bones popped satisfactory. Jumping down from the beam he had been laying on, he made his way down the walls cutting through the levels of the city – one jump after another. He went over peoples' heads making some people jump and others just roll their eyes. Most people were used enough to him that they weren't surprised by him zooming by.

The raven landed on the wall to the second level and dropped down on the street. The lowest level of the city was much bigger than the rest. He couldn't jump from the second level wall to the outer wall. He walked slowly over the cobblestone street smiling at people as he went. His anxiety around crowds was still there at the back of his head, but he was handling it better now than he had been. His bird-like black-scaled feet carried him up to the big gates that led out of the city.

"Haryn-himon!"

"Genhei-elo," Haryn said with a small bow in the guard's direction. "We have new arrivals, don't we?" he asked.

Genhei nodded. "I didn't expect you to come down here for that though Haryn-himon," he said.

The raven rolled his eyes as he said, "Farther and the others are stuck in father's study. They'll be interested in new arrivals, but I doubt that they heard the horn so I came down here to escort whoever is down here up to them."

The black-haired man chuckled. "I'll let them know you're here to collect them then," he said before walking over to a small house that had been set up for new arrivals to stay in until one of the three that ruled the city could speak to them.

Haryn folded his arms and tilted his head to the side. Out of the small house came three young men. By the look of it they were humans. They had long tangled hair and a frightened look in their eyes. Their clothes were tattered and bloody, but the raven could see the silver tree with six stars outside of the branches and a single star intertwined within.

"Welcome to Minas Morgul, Men of Gondor," he said as he walked forward.

The three men looked over to him their eyes widening. "Tha… thank you…" one of the men said.

"I am Haryn my father is the ruler of this city," Haryn said. "If you would please come with me I will bring you to him. He will be happy for any news you can bring him," he said. He'd moved his arms and motioned for them to follow him. "You do not need to fear. There is no one in this city that will attack you especially with me here," he said calmly. He made certain that the men were following him as he started walking. It would take them much longer to get back up then it had taken him to get down there.

They had walked up to the third level by the time one of the men broke through the silence surrounding them. "Excuse me but … what are you?" he asked.

Haryn turned towards him with a calculating look. "I am a Shrāl just like most of the people living in this city. Once upon a time we lived in Mordor but after the war against the elves and humans and the betrayal of one in the royal family the true among our people have not set foot inside Mordor except for a few brave scouts," he explained. "History as we recall it is not the same as what you know," he continued. "You will understand once you have spoken to my father."

They continued on in silence for a while.

"This place is much like Minas Tirith," another of the men said.

The raven nodded. "The two cities were built about a hundred years apart. Minas Morgul was probably built to resemble Minas Tirith," he said.

"The stories about this place are rather dark…"

A laugh ran clear through the air. "Yes, yes I can imagine that they are," Haryn said. "We are a peaceful people for the most part, but that does not mean we cannot be terrifying when need arises. For years the elves have spread their version of what happen during the war. They say Sauron wanted to take over the world and that our armies were filled with Orcs. We do not know why this is. It could be that the traitor Haxoru did something to cloud our enemies' eyes back then. Sauron fought against the elves and men to protect his people nothing else," he said. "Because they fear us elves call us dark." He picked up his speed a bit. He really wasn't all that interested in answering another question right now. They reached the citadel, and he led them up to the door before throwing them open. He could hear them gasp. _'I guess bright white isn't what they would expect from this place,'_ he thought. "This way please," he said calmly.

As they walked through the halls of the citadel, Haryn could hear the men speaking lowly. They would at times point at walls or even stop to look at something. He guessed they did that because Minas Morgul had once been a city of Gondor.

Eventually they reached a solid black door with no decorations whatsoever. A black scaled hand was raised and a knock sounded through the stone hallway. It didn't take long for the door to open. "Haryn-ka," the white-haired man said with a small smile. "What are you doing here I thought you had…" His eyes had fallen on the men that the young prince had brought with him. "Who do we have here?" he asked.

"They are new arrivals. Genhei sounded the horn," the raven said. He smirked slightly at Dowaim. "I guess I was right, and you didn't hear the horn," he said. "I brought them with me up here since I thought you would like any new information they could bring for you."

Dowaim nodded slowly. "Yes, of course," he said. He turned to the men. "Please come in," he said.

The men looked a bit apprehensive for a moment but did walk in eventually.

"I'll be off then," Haryn said. "Have fun dealing with their questions."

**_"_****_Brat,"_** Dowaim hissed after him as he walked away.

…

Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump ... ... ... Jump

"Arrghhh, I'm bored," Haryn complained. He fell down into his bed. The sun was setting. Dinner would be soon. Imerall was busy with something his father wanted him to do. There was absolutely nothing to do in Minas Morgul, and his father would not be happy if he disappeared from the city again.

A soft knock echoed through the room.

"Yes," Haryn said annoyed.

The door opened and Maya stepped inside. "You father requests your presence down in the dining room my Lord," she said with a small bow.

The raven sighed. "Please stop that Maya. You know I hate it when you go all formal on me," he said as he pushed himself out off bed. "Do I need to change or will this be alright?" he asked her.

"It is not a formal affair Himon-ka. The clothes you are wearing will suffice I'm sure," she answered. She reached out as he came closer and pulled at the clothes trying to erase at least some of the wrinkles he'd created by rolling around in bed with them on.

"Thank you Maya," he said. He smiled at her as he walked out of the room. The servant corridors were darker than the ones people normally walked through, but they were much faster. Haryn had learnt how to find his way through them only months after first arriving in the citadel. As he entered the dining room he could hear Dowaim say, "… but if he's somehow created Nazgûles and sent them off we cannot simply sit here and wait."

"When would he have had the chance Dowaim?" Khamûl said.

"There were Shrāl who went with him weren't there?" Sauron asked. "Who knows what he did to them." He sighed. "This is not good. What can they be after anyway?"

Dowaim leaned back in his chair. His eyes travelled over to the three humans who had all sat down a bit away from them and were devouring the food on their plates like they hadn't had anything to eat for a while. "The Ring maybe," he said. "Haxoru seemed to want it after all."

"But the ring is only a tool nothing else," Sauron said.

"He doesn't know that Sauron. You never told him why you had the thing made in the first place," Dowaim said.

"Why don't we just find the ring and destroy it before he can get to it?" Haryn asked. He had sat down next to Khamûl as the men spoke and was currently filling his plate with chicken among other things.

"That is a possibility I guess, but where would we look for it," Sauron sighed. "Either way he getting the ring won't make that much of a difference really unless something has changed about it since I held it last. Magic can change over time after all." He stabbed a piece of chicken on his plate, lifted it to his mouth and chewed it in frustration. "And we can't just go after it. Most people wouldn't take well to us. And I would prefer it if Haxoru didn't know I survived."

"Then I'll go after it," Haryn said. "Do you really think even the elves would attack me dada. I'm only a child after all and Haxoru definitely wouldn't expect me to run around out there. I can take Moony and Padfoot with me. My fire is strong enough to destroy the ring right." He looked up at his father. "They … people in general will have an easier time dealing with me than you either way. I haven't fought anyone…"

"And that is exactly why you can't go Himon-ka," Dowaim exclaimed.

Haryn gave the man a dark look. "I have more battle experience than your young soldiers Dowaim-lei don't treat me like a child," he said. "I haven't fought anyone around here so I have no enemies."

"There lies something in what the prince says," one of the Men of Gondor said. "He was strange to us but did not appear frightening… unlike you Your Majesty." He moved slightly and looked the raven in the eyes. "If you travel north would you keep your eyes open for the Captain of the White Tower, Boromir," he asked. "He left sometime ago to attend a meeting in Imladris and has not returned yet."

Haryn looked back to his father. "If I'm careful and don't do anything stupid it would be easy for me to do this," he said. "We'll always keep the connection open so you can talk to me. I would be almost as safe out there as I am here, and you wouldn't have to deal with me going nuts because I have nothing to do while you prepare for war. You know I'll get myself involved in this one way or another father. If you don't want me out on the battlefield then let me do this."

Sauron closed his eyes. There lay some truth in what his son said. He knew that the young flame wouldn't just sit still throughout this. _'And if I lock him up he'll hate me,'_ he thought. Some would consider it worth it to keep their child safe, but after thinking that he'd lost the boy, he simply couldn't stand the idea of Haryn hating him. "I will have to think about it Haryn-ka," he said softly.

"You can't be considering this nonsense Sauron!" Dowaim exclaimed. "Haryn is the heir to the throne he needs to be kept safe."

"Our first duty is to our people Dowaim-lei," Haryn hissed. "I can do this to keep them safe. If I meet this Captain maybe I can even make us allies with Gondor. We all know how beneficial that would be for us." He stood up slowly. "I am the Prince and as the Prince it is my duty to protect my people. Destroying that foul thing will do that… and teaching people that the Nazgûl can be killed will help even further." He looked to his father. "Good evening dada, good evening Khamûl. I will see the two of you tomorrow," he said before walking out of the room.

Sauron sighed. "He is so much like his mother," he whispered.

"Sauron we can't let him out there all on his own," Dowaim said.

Khamûl rolled his eyes. "I thought you were the one who dealt with his battle training, Dowaim," he said. "You should know better then the two of us that he's tough enough to take care of himself." He brushed his iron-grey hair out of his eyes. "He won't be going alone either. He'd have those overprotective canines with him all of the time and a direct connection with our Lord. He'll be fine."

Sauron raised an eyebrow as his two old friends started arguing with each other. _'Who would have thought that it would be Dowaim that wanted Haryn to stay and Khamûl that is alright with him leaving,' _he thought. He closed his eyes. He wasn't sure what he felt about the idea yet. In the end he'd probably have to weigh the benefits of his son doing this against the disadvantages. _'This is going to be a long night,'_ he thought.

* * *

Haryn's eyes scanned over the mountains surrounding Minas Morgul. Next to him stood a wolf that would put most horses to shame size wise. A pair of saddlebags were thrown over the wolf's back. They contained food for about two weeks and some water. After that they would have to hunt. A shaggy black dog moved up next to the young raven. 'So I guess we're going now, huh?' he said.

"We're just waiting for the farewell committee. Dada would kill me if I left without saying goodbye, and I want to say goodbye to Imerall as well. I told him to meet me down here," Haryn said. He turned around as he heard steps approach them. "Hey Imerall," he said softly.

"Hey, Haryn-himon what are you doing?" the copper-haired teen looked at Moony confused. "You are going somewhere?" he asked.

Haryn nodded. "There are some things I need to deal with," he answered. He walked up to the young elf. "I'm going to miss you but I doubt your father would let you come along. It will get rather dangerous," he said.

Imerall looked down at his feet. "Ada won't let me into danger," he said. Then he shrugged. "I do not really want danger either," he said. He bit his lip as he looked back up at the raven. "You be safe and come back," he said.

Haryn smiled at him. He took another step forward and wrapped his arms around the other teen. "Don't worry about me, Imerall. I've got both Moony and Padfoot they'll keep me safe," he said softly. "I'll be back before you know it." He smiled brightly at the elf.

Imerall nodded slowly. "O.K." he said. He'd miss Haryn. The prince was the only real friend he had.

"I guess I wasn't first one down here," Sauron said as he grabbed his son and pulled him into a hug.

"Sauron-himon," Imerall said with a deep bow.

"Calm añil-ka there is no need for that," Sauron said. He looked down at his son. "You take care and don't close the connection off ever O.K."

"I will and I promise I won't dada," Haryn said.

Sauron nodded before turning to the canines. "You two better bring him back alive," he said.

Moony huffed.

Imerall had moved up to Haryn. "What did you father call me?" he asked nervously.

Haryn tilted his head to the side a bit confused for a moment before his eyes widened in realisation. "Oh, he called you little wind," he said. He touched the others forehead with his own. "I promise I'll be back O.K." he said.

Imerall nodded, "O.K."

Haryn chuckled and moved back. He walked straight into his father who pulled him into another hug. "Stay safe," the man whispered in his ear. "I will," Haryn said. "You stay safe too." He looked up into fiery-orange eyes. They were filled with caring and love. It would feel weird to be away from his father, but he really wanted to do this. He couldn't stand the idea of simply sitting around and do nothing.

Moony lowered himself down to make it easier for his cub to climb up on his back. 'Still sure you want to do this?' he asked as the teen made himself comfortable.

Haryn nodded determinedly. "Let's go," he said shortly.

Padfoot barked and took off in front of them.

'Childish mutt,' Moony muttered before he started moving slowly. He wasn't sure what he thought about what was going on. In some ways he agreed with Haryn and in others he wished that his cub wasn't the one that had to do it. It had, however, been the raven's own choice, and he wasn't going to diminish that by trying to argue against it.

…

They had made their way out of the Morgul Vale. Grass spread out before them. In the distance the sun gleamed off Anduin's water.

'Where to now?' Moony asked his rider.

Haryn looked around. He knew that to the north the Dead Marshes lay and he did not want to travel through there. "We follow the river north," he said. "We'll be able to avoid the marshes if we do that."

'Why north?' Padfoot asked.

Haryn shrugged. "I got this feeling that the Captain of Gondor is travelling with whoever has the ring and he went north so it stands to reason that if we go north we'll run into them," he said.

'What if they have taken another route?' Moony asked.

Haryn shrugged. "Then we'll have to change our course won't we," he said lightly. "If we just stand around argue about what route to take we'll never find them."

'By Merlin's dirty socks… Cub you are impossible,' Moony said with a huff.

"Ah, but you love me anyway," the raven said sweetly.

'Sometimes I wonder why,' the wolf said.


	9. Falls of Rauros

**Falls of Rauros**

Water crashed down against the rocks beneath. The sound of the waterfall was deafening. Haryn looked down at the map Khamûl had given him before he left. "These are the Falls of Rauros. It has to be, but how do we get up there?" a young raven asked himself. He folded the map once more and placed it back in his shoulder bag.

'There is something in the water,' the teen's black-furred companion said suddenly.

Haryn looked over at the swiftly running river. "Where?" he asked.

'It came from up there,' Padfoot said and pointed his nose to the falls. 'It must be beneath the water now.'

The raven rolled his eyes. He scanned the water for a moment and was just about ready to give up when something caught his eyes. Moving forward swiftly, he jumped into the swift stream.

'What did you do now?' Moony growled at Padfoot. The massive light-brown wolf was growling lowly. Sometimes his beta was useless.

'I didn't know he was going to jump in,' Padfoot said in an attempt to defend himself.

As the two canines argued – or Padfoot got scolded whichever suits you best – Haryn had managed to grab a hold of the thing that had made him jump into the river. He wished that he'd grown his wings. I would be so much easier to swim if he had. He pulled his burden towards the surface slowly. _'This maybe wasn't the best of ideas,'_ he thought. He needed air.

Splash!

"Aaaahhh," Haryn breathed in deeply. _'I so should have taken my clothes off before jumping in,'_ he thought as he managed to get closer to the shore. _'I just need to get up there.'_ His feet grabbed on to rough rocks and held him steady. He grabbed a hold of the rocks with one hand and pulled himself closer to the shore. Then sharp teeth buried in his arm and he looked up. "Moony," he said.

The wolf growled at him.

"I know I'm sorry but…"

Another growl.

"O.K. you can lecture me later could you just please pull me up now," the raven begged. The wolf's teeth were sharp, but they could not cut through his scales. He shifted his hold on his burden and grabbed on to it with a clawed foot as well. They were pulled out of the water as the wolf moved back slowly. Once back on dry land, Haryn fell down on his knees. He placed his ear against an unmoving chest. "Shit," he cursed. He grabbed a hold of the man's clothes and ripped them open easily with his sharp claw-like nails. He pressed his hands flat to the chest he'd revealed and pushed several times in an attempt to rid the man's lungs of water.

'He's dead cub,' Moony said softly.

Haryn shook his head. "He's not dead until I say he's dead," he said stubbornly. He pulled something from his belt. It was a small bluish vial. The plants in Endor were enough like the ones on Earth that he'd been able to set up a potions lab. He had been smart enough to bring healing potions with him this time. He had over the years made quite the supply of potions that could do all kinds of things. He poured the blue liquid out over the wounds he could see before placing his hands back on the man's chest and pushing once more. "Come on, breath you annoying human," he shouted. He could see how the wounds in the man's chest were healing up so there was life in him somewhere, but if he didn't start breathing soon he'd be brain-dead.

*Cough … cough

Water came spewing out of the man's mouth.

Moving swiftly, Haryn shifted the man to lie on his side so that he wouldn't choke himself.

Grey eyes opened for a moment and trailed around the area unseeingly before closing once more.

"See he isn't dead," Haryn said as he looked up at Moony. The wolf rolled his eyes. 'Impossible brat,' he muttered. 'Dry yourself up before you catch a cold will you,' he growled.

The raven rolled his eyes. "Yes mom," he said. His clothes started letting off steam as his body heated up. He reached out and carefully he moved his warm hands over the humans clothes to get rid of the water in them as well.

…

'So now we have an unconscious human, and we're no closer to that ring or whatever at all,' Padfoot muttered. 'This is not going the way I thought it would.'

Haryn snorted. "It's not a school yard adventure Padfoot," he said. "We won't just find the thing we're looking for and get back in time for dinner." He moved a hand to rest over the unconscious man's chest. "His breathing is deeper now that's good," he said. "He should be waking up soon."

Padfoot huffed.

"If you're that bored why don't you go and get us some food," Haryn said annoyed.

Moony chuckled as he watched the shaggy mutt wander off slowly. 'He's getting way too used to the comforts of Minas Morgul,' he said.

Haryn tilted his head to the side. "And you are not. You're not complaining half as much as he is at least," he said.

'I actually enjoy getting a chance to move around properly,' the wolf said. 'It feels good to stretch my legs.'

Haryn laughed.

* * *

Fingers moved slowly. They dug into the soft dirt they were resting on top of. A deep breath was pulled in. _'I'm not dead,'_ was the first thought that passed through the owner of those finger's head. _'How am I not dead?'_ was the second.

Grey eyes opened slowly. It was dark. He seemed to be coming back to life one sense at a time as the low murmur of the Falls of Rauros – at least he thought that it was Rauros – could be heard in the distance. He breathed in slowly this time. Dark hair fell over his eyes. He moved his arms slowly before pushing himself off the ground. His eyes tried to adjust to the darkness surrounding him. A hand travelled to his bare chest. His wounds were gone. _'How?'_ he wondered. His wandering gaze fell on a strange stone that didn't seem to match the rocks around it.

He froze as he realised that the stone was breathing. _'What is that?'_ he wondered. He shifted slightly and a placed his hand in sharp gravel. He hissed in pain. Grey eyes moved over to the big beast laying a few feet away. A furry head moved up slowly and a pair of intelligent eyes landed on his still form.

A low growl floated through the air.

Boromir tried to move away from the beast. He did not want to end up as a midnight snack.

"You really should stop that before you fall into the river," a tired voice said.

Grey eyes widened. _'The beast didn't just speak to me, did it?'_ he wondered somewhat terrified. Then the big shape shifted and a smaller dark shape became visible. The smaller shape stood up slowly.

"How are you feeling?"

Boromir's hand went back up to his chest. "You healed me?" he said, almost whispered. He watched with weary eyes as the shape came closer to him. It was a person. His eyes fell on the gleaming white horns that were visible in dark unruly hair. The man moved back a bit more. He didn't know of any people in Middle Earth that had horns. "Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want with me?" He felt bare without his sword. But that had broken by Amon Hen when the Uruk-Hai had attacked. He was at the other's mercy.

A dark eyebrow rose. "Why do you fear me human? I'm not here to harm you. Why would I heal you if I wished you harm," the soft voice said. "I am Haryn son of Sauron Prince of the Forgotten Peoples. I have saved your life partly because I have questions to ask you and partly because I believe I have been asked to find you. You are the Captain of the White Tower, Boromir, are you not?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?" Boromir asked before he could stop himself.

A warm chuckled floated through the air. "Men of Gondor came to our city beaten and bloody. We took them in and they asked me to find you when they learned that I was travelling north," Haryn answered. He had stopped about two feet away from the human and kneeled down before seating himself on the cold dirt. "The river city is under attack almost daily. It's mostly just small groups of scattered Orcs but an attack will come eventually that the city cannot survive. They need their captain."

Boromir was trying to process the information he'd been given. His head felt heavy and filled with cotton. He was cold. He tried to wrap his arms around himself to at least get some more warmth. It had him falling back down on the cold dirt. He'd been using his arms to stay upright.

"I'll warm you up don't worry," the man said softly. He moved up closer to the human, reached out, and placed his hands on top of the brunet's chest.

Boromir gasped as warmth spread through his body from those hands. It warmed him up to his very soul. His grey eyes blinked closed slowly. His breathing evened out. He fell back into the abyss.

…

Haryn twirled a bone between his fingers lazily. It had belonged to one of the rabbits that Padfoot had caught the day before. It was clean now of course – so small and frail. He was waiting for the human to wake up once more. He was getting restless. Standing up, he walked over to Anduin and looked down into the water rushing by. A sigh passed his lips.

Grey eyes followed the young man's movements as the raven moved from the river to a set of rocks. Boromir watched as the strange humanoid being used his clawed hands and feet to climb up on one of the rocks. He sat up slowly. His memory of the previous night was somewhat blurry, but he could remember what the man had told him. His eyes scanned for the huge beats that had hidden the young raven from view the night before but couldn't see it. He was still amazed by the fact that he was healed completely. _'What kind of sorcery is he capable off?'_ he asked himself.

"Ah, you are awake finally," Haryn said as he jumped down from the rock. "How do you feel? Any lingering pain?" he asked.

Boromir shook his head slowly. "No, I do not think so," he said. "I feel surprisingly well for someone who's been used as a pincushion."

The raven chuckled warmly. "Aye, you nearly died, but it would seem that fate has a different path in mind for you," he said. He picked something up before moving over to the human. He sat down with his legs crossed before holding what he had with him out to the brunet. "Here have something to eat. I'm sure you need it," he said as he held out a bundled leather cloth with food in it.

Boromir accepted the bundle. He still wasn't too sure he could trust the strange young man, but his stomach wouldn't let him ignore the food he'd been given. He ate hungrily from the cold rabbit, bread, cheese and dried fruit in the bundle.

"I am wondering Boromir," Haryn said as he looked out over Rauros water. "If you travelled with one who holds the One Ring?"

The dark-brown haired man stopped eating. Something the young man had said the night before came back to him. _~I am Haryn son of Sauron Prince of the Forgotten Peoples~_ the man had said. "I will not aid the Dark Lord Sauron," he said. His eyes went back to the food as he wondered if it really had been such a good idea to accept food from the other.

Haryn snorted. "Sauron is a Dark Lord because the Elves fear our people. The one who gathered evil to himself in Mordor is not Sauron. And I seek the Ring in order to destroy it," he said. He held up a hand. "I know that words will not prove that I speak the truth," he said. He tilted his head to the side. "The war that felled Elendil started as a war between the Elves and our people. We are equally to blame for that war. I'm not trying to sound as if we were not to blame for it." He sighed. "My father did slay the King of Gondor but only because he believed that Men of Gondor had murdered me in my crib." He shook his head. "He believed he had lost his only child and went on a warpath," he said.

Boromir raised an eyebrow. "If you we a baby back during the Battle of Dagorlad then how come you seem so young… merely a boy not yet a man?" he asked.

Haryn smirked. "Now that is a story you would not believe if I told you about it," he said. "The easiest way to describe it is that I did not die when my murder was committed but rather ended up in a different time a different place. My father only recently found me once more and I hand only aged by a decade and a half."

"So someone did try to murder you," Boromir said. "I do not see how Men of Gondor could have done so, however."

"They didn't. It was my father's brother, Haxoru, who tried to kill me in an attempt to seize the throne for himself. He tried to kill my father as well but failed on both accounts," Haryn said.

"And the Ring? You said you wanted to destroy it but wouldn't that kill your father?" Boromir asked.

Haryn tilted his head to the side. "No it wouldn't. The Ring was created as a tool intended to control the Kings of Men so that they would cease their pointless killing of innocents. Long have our people accepted those who have been cast from their homes, those who were left forgotten and those whose lands and homes were taken from them. We are the rulers of the Forgotten Peoples because those are the once we rule over. Men and Elves and even some Dwarves live with us," he said.

"Then how do you explain the effect it has on those around it? The Ring is evil," Boromir said. He was met with a shrug. "The Ring was never meant to be worn by anyone but the ruler of the Shrāl, our people. I have no idea what the effects are or why they happen," Haryn responded. "It could simply be that you cannot handle the power that it holds or the power left in the Ring would have gained a mind of its own over the years. It has been out there for quite some time by now after all."

The raven stood up slowly. "We do not wish for the end of Man. Haxoru is our enemy as well. We would like our old lands back and the destruction of every Orc in Mordor," he said. He turned to Boromir. "You may not believe me Leader of Men but we will fight for the survival of our people."

The brunet closed his eyes and sighed. He did not know what to believe anymore. The young man before him was very convincing. There was something that was nagging at him however. "Why do the elves fear you kin?" he asked. His question was answered with another question. "Where do the elves live, Boromir?" He thought about that for a moment. "In Imladris, Lórien, and the Mirkwood," he answered.

Haryn nodded. "Apart from Imladris the other two places are forests. What is a forests biggest fear?" he said. He didn't wait for a response though. "They fear fire, Boromir," he said. "We are Shrāl, dragon-kin, we breath fire. Fire is our friend. They fear us because we wield what they hate. Never mind that they use fire as a tool for food and weapons," he said. A scaled hand was held out and within seconds a black flame danced in his palm. "I love the forest. I would never hurt it. Most of us are friendly just like any other race. We have our black sheep, but all we really want is to live in peace," he said. His green eyes looked down at the man still sitting on the ground. "We will help you if you help us. The Elves are leaving these shores. There is no real reason for us to fight each other. Yes my father killed the King of Gondor, but that is thousands of years ago, and he did it because he loves me. Must that be a reason for us to continue fighting each other?" he asked.

Boromir sighed. It wasn't like he could do much against the young dragon-human without a weapon either way. _'Especially not if he can breath those black flames,'_ he thought. He could take the chance that the young man was telling the truth and bring back powerful allies to Gondor, or… or what really? In his condition he probably wouldn't survive on his own. He might be healed, but he was still weak.

"Come on make up you mind," Haryn said impatiently. "I hate indecision! ... or maybe I don't. Well, just make up your mind, or I'll have your skin made into a hat. Maybe one of those arrowcatchers. I love those hats!" He was smiling in a way that told the human that he was nowhere near serious about the whole thing.

Boromir shook his head. This was a very strange young man. "Where are you planning on going?" he asked.

Haryn shrugged. "That would be easier to decide if I knew were the one who has the Ring is going," he said while giving the man a pointed look.

_'__Nothing ventured nothing gained,'_ Boromir thought before saying, "He is going to Mordor. He will throw the Ring back into the flames that it was forged in."

The raven snorted. "You know I'm pretty sure that father used his fire breath to forge the ring not the flames of Orodruin," he said. "Either way if we can intercept them I can destroy the Ring, and we don't have to deal with that anymore." He walked over to the human and held a hand out. "I'm sorry but I can't do much about your lost equipment," he said. "I was a bit too busy trying to stay alive when I dived in to save you to think about what you had with you."

Boromir grabbed the hand and was pulled up on his feet. "My sword wasn't of much use anyway," he said. "It broke, but it was a shame on the shield. There aren't many like it."

Haryn nodded slowly. "Ah, they are back," he said.

"Who?" Boromir asked. But he didn't need an answer. Two big canines came walking from between the rocks. One was huge. Its brown fur gleamed in the sunlight and its sharp claws dug deep into the ground. The second canine was not as big and looked more like an oversized dog than anything else. It had shaggy black fur. Both beasts had bright intelligent eyes that looked at Haryn.

"These are Moony and Padfoot," Haryn said. "They are my protectors and my companions. They can understand Westron so I suggest that you don't say anything that would insult them. I can understand them as well." He turned to the big wolf. "Can you carry the both of us?" he asked.

'Not if I am to keep to the same speed we had on our way here,' Moony answered.

The raven shrugged. "I could do with some exercise," he said. He turned to Boromir. "You don't have to fear them unless you decide to harm me. It will be faster if you ride on Moony for now. He's stronger than any horse you've ever met and far more dangerous should we get attacked."

The brunet moved forward uncertainly. He wasn't to sure about this idea. He understood, in theory, why it was necessary, but riding an animal that could just as well decide to eat him didn't seem like the wisest of ideas to him. Despite his doubts, he did walk up to the young dragon-human and allowed himself to be helped up on the beast's back. He grabbed onto the thick fur in front of him as the wolf started moving. _'This is insane,'_ he thought.

The pace was slow at first. No one wanted Boromir to fall off Moony's back. Over the course of the day, however, they picked up speed and by the time they stopped that day the human had relaxed enough that they were running rather fast.

They made camp on the Anduin's riverbank that night. They still had a long way to go.

_'__Maybe, just maybe we do stand a chance against the forces of Mordor,_' Boromir thought as they went to lie down. The young man he was travelling with seemed to have the same endurance that Elves had. If there were more of them and they were willing to fight then. _'And they all can breathe fire.' _They could win this.


	10. Sons of Gondor

**Sons of Gondor**

Trees and grass covered the land in a lush greenness. The air smelled of herbs and flowers. Streams spread through the landscape like a root system. The water ran slowly. The land was peaceful despite the fact that battles had been fought there. The trees and grass and taken over quickly every time it happened. Unlike Dagorlad that had turned into a marshland, Ithilien was beautiful with its climbing woods and falling streams. The sky was blue still, even though it was being threatened by the dark clouds that spread from Mordor.

Among the trees a small very strange party travelled. It was strange because half of the group consisted of canines. A proud wolf walked over the grass-clad ground slowly. His ears were listening for anything that might be a danger for his companions. In the meantime a shaggy dog was trying to catch butterflies in his jaws. He ran around the rest of the group acting for all intents and purposes as a puppy. The non-animal members of the group were a human walking tall with his dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail and his torn shirt left open, and a Shrāl with black-scaled hands and feet and shaggy raven hair his green eyes moving watchfully over the land before them. Just because they were looking for the Rangers of Ithilien, it didn't mean that they wanted to be caught off guard.

"Farmair has always known more about Ithilien then me," Boromir said with a sigh. "The rangers are probably here, but I do not know where their camp is." His grey eyes followed a small bird that took flight as they got closer to the tree it had been resting in.

"If there are humans about Moony will be able to pick up their scent," Haryn said calmly. "I would say that Padfoot could do it too, but considering that he seems to have gone back to puppyhood, I wouldn't be too sure about that." He reached out and placed a hand against the big wolf's side.

They had been travelling together for several days now.

Boromir still wasn't sure what to think of the young dragon-like teen, but he found himself incapable of believing that the boy was in anyway evil. He could be wrong of course. He was willing to take that risk though. Unlike the elves, this young man was promising an army that would fight the hoards of Mordor.

A low growl escaped from Moony's chest.

Green eyes moved over the tree line. "I see them," Haryn whispered. He took a step forward. "Why are you hiding in the shadows Rangers of Ithilien?" he called out. An arrow came flying towards him. He rolled his eyes as he lifted a hand and caught the projectile. "Ah, such brave Men of Gondor to attack an unarmed child," he called. He reached out towards Moony and made a motion for the wolf to lie down. "We are not here to fight you," he said as he caught another arrow. "Why are you attacking us?"

One of the shadowy figures moved forward slowly. "State your name and business here," a harsh voice said.

"It's Faramir," Boromir said. "It has to be."

"Then why don't you take over before he decides we would look great with arrows sticking out of us," Haryn hissed. He wasn't really worried about the arrows. It would take a very precise hit from an arrow to kill him. It the projectile hit his scales it would simply bounce off. There was very little that could pierce through a Shrāl's scales.

Boromir walked forward some. "Don't you recognise your own brother Faramir?" he called out.

"My brother died in the north. How do you dare to claim you are him," the man called back.

"Oh, I'm sure he would have died from his injuries if I hadn't saved him," Haryn said loudly. "I happened to know that the Men of Gondor suffered from the loss of their Captain, however, and did my best to bring him back from the brink of death."

The green clad man moved forward slowly. He reached up towards the hood of his cloak and pulled it off. Brown hair was hit by the evening sun. Grey eyes widened and teared as the man came closer to them. "How?" he whispered. "Your horn washed up on the shore of Anduin eight days past cloven in two."

Boromir lowered his head. "The party I was travelling with was attacked by Uruk-Hai," he said. "I was felled in battle and my companions must have thought me dead as they sent my body down the Falls of Rauros." He turned towards Haryn. "This young man was camping by the foot of the falls, and he risked his own life to pull me out of the water before healing the many wounds I had sustained," he explained.

"He wasn't breathing and it was a close call for a while there before I got the water out of his lungs," Haryn said calmly.

"He did not only do that but he also healed my injuries over night," Boromir said.

The raven shrugged. "There are many useful plants that if combined correctly can heal many an injury," he said. "Or create great disaster if that is what you wish."

Faramir couldn't just stand there anymore. He walked up to his big brother and enveloped him in a tight hug. "I am glad to see you alive, brother," he said softly.

"So am I little brother so am I," Boromir said. "And I bring good news. This young man tells me that his people are gearing for war against Mordor." He had reached out and clapped Haryn on the shoulder.

Faramir's eyes widened. "That is good new indeed," he said and looked down at the young raven. His eyes travelled over to the canines that lay on the ground not to far off.

"They are with me and won't attack anyone unless they pose a threat to me," Haryn said.

Boromir nodded slowly. "We have many things do discus little brother but here is not the place for idle talk," he said. "I vouch for my young companion here and his friends." He placed an arm around his brother's shoulders. "Let us go somewhere safer and I will tell you what I have learned."

Haryn looked down at Moony. "Hopefully this will turned out alright," he said.

* * *

"Stop don't attack them!" Haryn shouted as he pushed a ranger's bow to the side so that the arrow hit a tree instead of its target.

"Foolish child what do you think you are doing?" the man said.

Haryn humphed. "I'm making sure you are not attacking allies of my people," he said. "Moony come here," he called. The wolf came running up to him, and he jumped up on the beast's back. "Let's go out there and greet them shall we," he said.

"What is that boy doing?" Faramir asked his brother as his light-grey eyes followed the young man riding on his wolf towards the Mûmakil. "He is going to get himself killed down there," Faramir said worriedly.

Boromir's brows furrowed. "I am not so sure about that little brother," he said.

They watched as the wolf came close enough to the Mûmakil for Haryn to jump up and grab on to one of its great tusks. He pulled himself up and ran along the tusk up to the great beast's head. Weapons were drawn when he got up there, but they quickly lowered at the sight of him. He bowed. The men talked to each other in their own tongue for a moment before one of them turned to him. "Has there been a change of plans from Lord Sauron, young Shrāl?" he asked.

Haryn shook his head. "Not as far as I know, but I could always check," he said. _'Father? … father…'_

_'__Yes, bérren-ka what is it?'_ Sauron's calming presence moved through him.

_'__I am trying to make sure that the Men of Gondor, and the Haradrim don't kill each other, and the Haradrim are asking if there are any changes in your plans concerning them,'_ Haryn explained to his father.

Sauron thought about it for a moment. _'Apart from telling them that a union between our forces and the forces of Gondor is something we are striving towards, and as such, I do not condone them fighting them … then no. There are no changes,'_ he said. _'You are keeping yourself busy my son._ _Make sure you stay safe,'_ he said.

_'__I will dada,'_ Haryn answered. He opened his eyes as the connection went back to the back of his head and looked to the leader of this group of Haradrim. "Sauron says that there are no changes, but that he does not wish for you to fight with the Men of Gondor unless you have no other choice. I am trying to establish an alliance between the Forgotten Peoples and Gondor at the moment," he said.

The Haradrim's eyes widened. "Prince Haryn," he said and the men bowed deeply. "You honour us by appearing in person. We will listen to your words but the Men of Gondor have attacked our kin before now. Are you sure they will stop? Unless they stop attacking us we cannot promise that we will not attack them," he said.

Haryn nodded. "I am travelling with the sons of the current leader of Gondor. We should be able to come to some sort of agreement," he said. He pointed to where he knew that Farmair and Boromir lay in wait. "They are that way," he said.

…

"They are coming this way Captain Faramir," one of the rangers said.

"I can see that," Faramir responded. He looked at his brother. "I truly hope that you are right about this young man, brother," he said.

"So am I," Boromir said.

The Mûmakil reached the cliff they lay on and stopped. "Can you two please come out here," Haryn called.

Faramir looked at his brother with questioning eyes. "Do we go out there?" he asked.

Boromir shrugged. "We might as well," he said as he stepped out from behind the trees. He walked over to the dragon-like young man that had jumped over to firm ground as he waited. "So what is this about now?" he asked.

Haryn shrugged. "The Haradrim are our allies, and if we are to work together, you have to stop attacking them. You are diminishing the numbers we will be able to attack Haxoru's armies with by killing them," he explained.

Faramir closed his eyes. "The Haradrim are allies to the real Sauron not the one who has taken up residence in Mordor?" he asked.

Haryn nodded. "Yes, they are my father's allies. Their sick and weak live with us since they are not strong enough to travel with their kin," he said then he turned towards the Haradrim. "Why are you travelling through Ithilien anyway? I didn't ask father what his plans were."

The Haradrim leader chuckled softly. "We have been sent ahead as scouts to the Black Gate of Mordor young Prince," he said. "It is our job to send back word when the enemy starts moving."

Faramir raise a hand and covered his eyes with it. "We are tasked with the same mission then," he said. He looked down at the raven and then back up at the man. "My rangers will no longer pose a threat to your people. I will make sure of that," he said. "Harming those that fight the same enemy we fight is folly."

"You speak truth Son of Gondor. We will honour this agreement. Our people will not harm the Men of Gondor. We stand true to Lord Sauron and his bloodline," the Haradrim leader said.

"May the winds guide your path and your aim stay true," Haryn said as a farewell. They had nothing more to speak about now, and the Haradrim had important things to do.

"May your flames stay strong young Prince," the man said before he commanded the Mûmakil around.

The Mûmakils walked away slowly as Faramir called his men back together. He explained to them what was going on, and though some were not to happy about it or rather not keen on believing that the Haradrim would hold up their part of the deal, they did make their way back to to Henneth Annûn.

Haryn sat down against Moony's side when they had returned to the hidden caves. He knew that war was coming, and he also knew that his father would prefer that he stayed out of it. He wasn't so sure he could do that though. _'It isn't like I haven't fought before,'_ he thought. Though, he had never partaken in true battle. _'And it isn't like the Enemy is after me specifically around here.'_ Voldemort had wanted him dead. Haxoru thought he was dead already.

* * *

Their stay in Ithilien lasted for several more days.

Until one evening Faramir returned to Henneth Annûn with two small men. Half the height of a normal man. Their feet were exceptionally hairy and they had tattered and dirty clothes.

"Let them see," Faramir told his men. He turned to Haryn. "You know of the danger they bring with them better than I," he said.

Haryn nodded, and as the two Halflings were allowed to see once more, he walked forward.

"At least by good chance we arrived here at the right time to reward you for your patience," Faramir said. "This is the Window of the Sunset, Henneth Annûn, fairest of all the falls in Ithilien. Few strangers have ever seen it. But there is no kingly hall behind to match it." He walked up to the raven. "Haryn here will show you inside. I have other dealings that require my attention for now."

"If you would please follow me," Haryn said. He turned towards a low forbidding arch, passed under it and walked into a chamber of rock, wide and rough, with an uneven stooping roof. He led the two Halflings over to a table. Smiling softly at them, he helped them to get seated at the too big table. "I will be right back," he said kindly.

"He is a strange one if ever I saw one," Sam said as he followed the young man. "Have you ever heard of anyone like him before mister Frodo?" he asked.

The brown haired Hobbit shook his head. "No Sam I have not," he answered softly.

The raven haired youth returned to the table they sat at and placed down a bowl of fruit. "This should keep you going for now and will hopefully help you recover some of your lost energy," he said softly. Neither Hobbit noticed as he picked the chain Frodo was wearing around his neck off the brunet. He walked back out of the hall and up to Boromir. "I do believe that the Halflings need to see me destroy this. They will not trust us otherwise," he said as he held the Ring up.

Boromir's grey eyes fell on the golden band. He feared that the madness that had overcome him by the Falls of Rauros would once again consume him but nothing happened. "Later tonight when Faramir is back we will gather them up and deal with it," he said. He looked out a small crack in the cave wall. "I wish to be rid of this place," he said. "My people need me on the battlefield not hiding in a cave."

Haryn chuckled softly. "I will have the pleasure of trying to convince my father that letting me join the fight is a good idea after we are done with this. I'm not so sure that I look forward to that," he said with a sigh. He looked back out into the hall and saw how the Halflings were led over to a small bed so they could rest if they so wished.

The raven shook his head. He could only imagine what the two had been through to get this far. _'And Dowaim thinks I shouldn't move outside of the city,'_ he thought. He snorted and turned towards one of the hidden exits. He could do with some fresh air.

…

"… saw it he wanted the Enemy's Ring!"

"Sam!" Frodo cried aghast.

"With that I believe it is time for those of you who know what this is about to follow me," Haryn said. It was obvious that they would have to deal with the Ring now.

Faramir looked up at him. "As you wish," he said and stood up. "If the two of you would join us please. We have important things to discuss," he said to the Halflings.

"What have you gone and done now Samwise," the golden-haired Hobbit mumbled to himself. "You should have learnt by now to keep your mouth shut." He looked up at the others gathered with him in a small alcove of the cave. There with them was another man apart from Faramir and the strange horned youth.

Haryn looked down at the two Halflings as he pulled out the chain he had nicked from Frodo earlier in the evening. "The One Ring they call it," he said as the ring moved back and forth on the chain before their eyes.

Frodo moved his hands up to the collar of his tunic. His eyes widened in fear as he realised that the young man was holding the Ring he had been tasked to destroy. "Please give it back," he pleaded. "It must be destroyed…"

"And it will," Haryn said. "But do not think that the fires of Orodruin would necessarily have destroyed the Ring. It was not forged in the fires of the mountain but rather by the fire of Sauron himself."

The Hobbits looked up at the young man confused. They felt lost. Was their mission truly lost? Had they failed?

Haryn turned to the cloaked figure. "Why don't you show yourself? I'm sure that Faramir has confused them thoroughly by now," he said.

A soft chuckle escaped the hood as strong arms lifted to pull the fabric down.

"Boromir!" Frodo exclaimed. He looked over at Faramir. "He was not dead and yet you made it sound as such," he said accusingly.

"Ah," Faramir said. "But I never claimed that he was indeed dead."

Haryn sat down his legs crossed. He held the chain out and closed his eyes for a moment as he pulled in a deep breath. Black fire spewed from his mouth as he let the breath back out. He caught them in his empty hand.

Frodo's blue eyes widened. "Dragon-fire," he whispered and he remembered something that Gandalf had told him when he'd first found out that the ring Bilbo had left hi was the One Ring, _'It has been said that dragon-fire could melt and consume the Rings of Power, but there is not now any dragon left in this world in which the old fire is hot enough.'_ "Gandalf said there is no dragon-fire around hot enough to destroy the Ring," he said.

Haryn chuckled. "My father created the ring and my fire burn hotter than most. It stands to reason, however, that one of the Wizards would not know about us, though, since we have long ago been forgotten and written off as tales if even that," he said as he held the ring out over the flames burning black in his hand. The golden circlet started dripping slowly, its golden sheen hitting the floor where the Shrāl sat. He dropped the ring into the fire and gold started pouring through his fingers. "There is no people that can handle fire like ours," he said. "The Ring was never more than a tool. The stories that Elves and Humans have told of its greatness are mostly just fairytales. It was never anymore powerful than the three rings worn by the Elves," he said. "I am a Shrāl one of the dragon-kin. Now I have destroyed a tool that drove mortals mad with power hunger. Whatever Elves and Men called it." The fire in his hand went out and there was nothing not even a coat of gold left in his hand. "This will not destroy the evil that now grows in Mordor," he said. "That evil was born from something else and had little to do with the Ring."

"So the Ringwraiths?" Frodo said questioningly.

"There were once like me," Haryn said. "They were Shrāl that were corrupted by Haxoru. They will still roam free. Their existence had no connection to the Ring." He moved to stand up but almost collapsed. He chuckled. "And there is the proof that what I just did was not as easy as it looked," he said.

Boromir rolled his eyes. "Come here foolish Prince. Let me lend you an arm so that you can return to your companions," he said as he walked up to the raven and held a hand out for the teen to take. He grabbed a black-scaled hand and pulled the young man up on his feet before helping him out of the alcove. They walked back out of the cave to where Moony and Padfoot rested, slowly.

The great wolf lifted his head. 'We dealt with the skulking critter. He will bother no one again,' he said.

Haryn's eyes widened. "Ah, that's good," he said. "I hate looking over my shoulder." Boromir gave him a questioning look. "Moony says that they killed the skulking creature that was with the Hobbits when they walked into Ithilien," he explained.

"Gollum," Boromir said. "That is good. Then we do not have to worry about him anymore," he said as he helped the raven to sit down. "We will be leaving for Minas Morgul tomorrow, yes?" he asked.

Haryn nodded. "Yes I do believe that is for the best. I wonder if we shouldn't take the Hobbits with us. They would be safer in Minas Morgul than anywhere else," he said.

"I will speak to Faramir and we shall reach a decision on the matter," Boromir said. "I have many things to discuss with him tonight."

"I will see you in the morning, Boromir," Haryn said.

…

The sun was rising above the treetops slowly. It filled the world with a lush golden light.

Haryn was standing by Moony's side. He was running his hands through the wolf's thick fur. They would be leaving in a moment. He turned slightly as he heard feet moving through the grass behind him. A smile spread over his lips as he saw Boromir. The man was tightly followed by his brother and then the two Hobbits came. "So, you will be travelling with us then," he said his eyes meeting Frodo's blue ones.

The curly brunet nodded slowly. "It would seem that way young Prince," he said.

Haryn nodded. "We need to travel with speed for Gondor's sake so you two should ride on Moony here. Do not worry he will not let you fall off, and he can easily carry you both," he said.

"You want us to ride on top of the wolf," Sam said terrified. A horse was bad enough as far as he was concerned.

A low growl moved through the air.

"Hush, with you," Haryn said turned to the wolf before he looked up at the Hobbits once more. "He does not appreciate your lack of faith in him," he told the golden-blond Hobbit.

"He … he can understand us?" Sam asked with wide eyes.

The raven nodded. "Yes he can understand you just fine Master Hobbit," he said with a small smile. "Come on it will be much faster this way and you do not have to spend anywhere near as much energy to get where we're going."

Frodo walked up to him slowly. The raven reached out and lifted the Halfling up. He placed him on Moony's back. "You can hold on to his fur," he said. "Take a good chunk so you don't pull at individual hairs." He turned towards Sam. "Now it is your turn Master Gamgee, come on," he said.

Sam shook his head as he walked up to the dragon-human. "Many things have we done on this journey, but this has to be the strangest one," he mumbled. He was lifted up and placed behind his master.

The wolf beneath them stood up slowly.

Many of the Rangers of Ithilien joined them. "We will walk with you for a short way," Faramir said. He walked up next to his brother. The two men stood proud next to each other. "Everything ready," he asked Haryn.

The raven nodded. "Yes, we're good to go," he answered.

They walked together down the stairs that led up to Henneth Annûn. Their pace was slow partly to give the Hobbits some time to get used to the feel of riding on top of the great wolf and partly to give Boromir and Faramir some more time together. The brothers did not wish to part ways, but it was necessary.

Over a hill covered in grass that swayed softly in the light breeze that went through the trees, they went. When they stood by the edge of the treeline Faramir turned to the rest of them. "Here lays the parting of our ways," he said. "I wish you luck." He looked at the Hobbits specifically. "I hope that the next time we meet there is peace in our lands once more," he said. Then he walked over to his brother. They spoke to softly for the Hobbits to hear and Haryn did not care to repeat what the two spoke to each other about. It was their business, and he would not get involved in it.

"Good luck on your way Faramir," Haryn said. "Do not fret we will come to the rescue of the White City."

The man smiled softly at him. "If all your people is like you young prince then I do not doubt it for a second," he said. He said something to his men and they disappeared quickly amongst the trees.

Haryn looked up at Moony. "Let's speed things up a bit now," he said. "The faster we get there the more we can help others."


	11. War Council

**War Council**

The Hobbits and Boromir were talking to each other.

Haryn had run ahead with Padfoot. He could see the Morgul Vale now. He was almost back home. It would be nice to see his father and teachers again. And Imerall. He hadn't been gone for as long as he'd thought it would take him to find the ring. But it was still nice to be looking upon familiar lands. As their party entered the Morgul Vale, they could see little camps set up through the valley and a big amount of Mûmakil. The Haradrim had arrived in great numbers.

The raven slowed his pace down. He wanted the rest of his party to catch up with him before entering the city. He laughed and took a step back as a gaggle of kids came running over his path. One of the girls stopped and looked up at him with big brown eyes. "A Shrāl," she exclaimed stopping her friends dead in their tracks. "Can we see your wings, please," another girl said. The first girl turned to her and said something in their own language.

Haryn smiled down at them. "I would if I could young one," he said. He kneeled down. "But you see I'm not old enough to have grown wings yet," he said.

"Awww, really?"

Haryn nodded. "I'll see if I can find someone who'll show you though," he said.

"Yay," the kids exclaimed.

The raven chuckled warmly as the children started following him once he stared walking once more.

"I see you have picked up some admirers," Boromir said as he caught up with the teen.

Haryn smiled brightly. "They want to see wings," he said. "Unfortunately I can't show them any since I'm too young to have them yet."

"Shrāl have wings?" Sam asked curiously.

"Ahha." "They have big beautiful wings that glow." "No they don't glow stupid." "They do so." "No they don't," the boy looked up at Haryn. "Right, Shrāl wings don't glow, do they?"

The raven ran a hand through his unruly hair. "No our wings don't just glow, but we can make our powers flow along them. For some of us that would look like the wings were glowing," he said.

"I said so…" The rest of that conversation took place in a language none of the older people in the group could understand.

The gates of Minas Morgul stood open and unguarded. "Oh, this is great," Haryn said sarcastically. "Genhei!" he called out. "Genhei! Where is that man? He's supposed to guard the gate," he said. He turned around and placed his hands against Moony's side. "We can let the two of you down now at least," he said.

Frodo moved his leg over the wolf's back and dropped down into Haryn's arms. The raven caught him and let him back down on the ground before moving on to Sam. Once they were both back on the ground, Moony took off towards the citadel. He did not want the children to get any ideas when it came to him. Carrying Haryn and his companions when needed was one thing. He didn't mind that, but he was not going to deal with a gaggle of small kids.

Haryn tapped his foot to the ground impatiently. He tilted his head to the side and closed his eyes tugging at the connection he had with his father. _'Why is there no one by the gates dada?'_ he asked.

It took a little while before he got a response and once he did his father sounded somewhat scatter-minded. _'…what are you talking about son? There is no one by the gate? But… whait a moment…'_

.

.

.

_'__Genhei has been sent out, but there should still be someone down there… wait you're down by the gate now?'_

_'__Yes dada I am down by the gate now,' _Haryn said patiently. The connection broke off suddenly. He opened his eyes and snorted. "My father is on his way down here," he said. "The guy who usually deals with the gate is away somewhere." He turned towards the children. "The king is on his way. He will most likely fly here so you can see his wings but you can't attack him with questions," he said.

"The king," the brown eyed girl said. She looked up at the raven. "You know the king," she said in awe.

"Of course, he does didn't you hear him say that the king is his father," one of the boys said.

"Hush, he's coming," another kid said. It was hard to say which one.

A whooshing sound tore through the air before a majestic Shrāl landed only a few steps away from Haryn. The crimson-haired man moved forward swiftly and pulled his son into a hug. His wings fluttered slowly as they settled around them. "How did it go?" he whispered as he ran a hand through his son's raven locks.

"It went well," Haryn answered. "The Ring is destroyed, and I found the Captain of the White Tower. He is requesting our help in the battle to come." Green eyes looked up at into a soft orange gaze. "We'll help them right?" he asked.

"This man here is … Boromir was his name right?" Sauron said; he had looked up at the dark-haired man as he spoke before returning his gaze to his son.

The raven nodded. "Boromir son of Denethor the Ruling Steward of Gondor. The other two are Halflings from the Shire. They were the ones that were carrying the ring. I thought they would be safer here than anywhere else," he said. "And the kids just wanted to see wings," he said with a smile back at the Haradrim children.

Sauron chuckled. He moved his wings out wide.

"Make them burn," Haryn whispered.

A thin coat of flames spread over the membrane of the black-scaled wings.

The raven could hear how the kids awed in amazement.

Sauron flapped his wings a few times before he laughingly told the children to get back to their parents. "We don't want you to end up in trouble now," he said.

"Bye-bye," Haryn called.

"Bye prince Haryn," the little brown eyed girl said.

Sauron looked over at the guardhouse. "I have something to deal with. You can take our guests up to the citadel. I will see you there," he said before he let go of his son.

Haryn watched as his father disappeared into the guardhouse before turning to his companions. "Well, I do believe we shall do as he said and get up to the citadel. We could all use a chance to get cleaned up," he said. "We'll use the shortcuts because I don't feel like walking the long way right now. So we're going this way." He waited until the Hobbits had caught up with him before he started walking towards the second wall.

"So that was Sauron?" Frodo asked. The man was nothing like what he had imagined. He'd not thought that the one people called the Dark Lord would act like a doting father.

"Yes, that was Sauron. I know that he's not what most outsiders would expect. The Evil Lord is not my father. He doesn't want to rule the world. He just wants his family and his people to be safe," Haryn said.

Frodo nodded slowly. It would seem that everything he'd heard about Sauron was not actually about Sauron at all. Suddenly his thoughts turned to Merry and Pippin. He felt really bad for not thinking about them until then. _'Where are they now?'_ he wondered. _'Are they still alive?'_ No he couldn't think that. He had to believe that they were O.K. Maybe they were in Minas Tirith. He looked up as the raven moved a seemingly solid wall to the side revealing a set of stairs. Torches lit up as Haryn walked into the tunnel. A soft orange light spread and chased the darkness away.

They made their way up the stairs and out on another street. There were people of all races moving around the stalls that were set up buying things, talking to each other. A young man broke away from the crowd and came running up to the group. "Haryn!" the copper haired youth called.

The raven turned around and caught the other teen as he stumbled. "Hey, Imerall," he said tying to contain his mirth. He turned slightly to the side. "This is a dark-elf or shadow-elf his name is Imerall. His Westron is rocky but as long as you don't talk to fast it'll be O.K. He's my best friend. And the clumsiest elf I know," he said as he helped Imerall back on his feet. He looked into grape-coloured eyes before introducing the people he'd arrived with. "We need to get cleaned up. We've been on the road for days but I'll come find you afterwards, yeah?"

Imerall nodded with a bright smile. "Oh alright… I see you in the garden later," he said.

Haryn let go of his friend, and with a smile back at Imerall, he continued leading his companions up to the citadel.

…

Boromir sighed as he leaned back in the marble tub. It felt good to wash the grime he'd accumulated since Lórien off. A part of him wondered how they managed to get the water up to the tubs. Haryn had led them to rooms not too far away from the master quarters. He had his own bathroom tiled in white and light blue. He couldn't say he was that surprised over the citadels light décor. He travelled with Haryn for awhile now, and he'd figured that if the rest of his people were anything like him they were not really a dark people. While they'd walked through the city, he'd seen what had looked like members of several races that no longer existed anywhere else. He wasn't proud of the fact that Gondor was the reason that those peoples no longer had anywhere else to go, but they hadn't seemed very sad about living here.

He dipped his head beneath the water surface to rinse soap out. Coming back up again, he breathed in deeply. He hoped that Faramir was doing O.K. He knew their father could be unreasonable sometimes so their decision not to let Denethor know that he was alive yet might not have been the best idea.

Standing up, he reached out for a towel to dry himself off with while wondering how he was supposed to get rid of the water. In the end he decided to just leave it. He walked into the bedroom and raised an eyebrow at the clothes lying on his bed. He guessed they would be better than wearing his travel clothes. _'Whatever now happened to then,' _he thought as he looked around the room. Both his clothes and weapons were gone. Hopefully he could find someone who could give him an explanation as to why that had happened.

He raised the towel and started rubbing it over his hair. A soft knock sounded through the room before a soft female voice said, "Boromir-zenó, Haryn-himon has requested your presence in the study. I am here to escort you."

"Just a moment and I'll be ready to go," Boromir called. He dumped the towel on the bed before picking a thin green cotton shirt up. He pulled it on before doing the same with a pair of brown cotton pants. He ran his finger through his hands a couple of time as he walked up to the door. On the other side of the door stood a green-haired woman with bright amber eyes; she raised a hand to her chest before bowing, and Boromir noticed the dark-blue scales that gleamed as the torchlight hit them. She was a Shrāl. "If you would please follow me Boromir-zenó," the woman said before she started walking down the corridor.

Boromir followed her leisurely after closing the door to his bedroom behind him. He was taken to a decently sized room with a big table in the middle. Walking up to the table, he could see a big map of Middle Earth. There were little statuettes standing on the map: Minas Tirith held white, Minas Morgul black, there were green pieces spread out in the forests where he knew elves lived and then there was Mordor which was filled with brown. He heard steps behind him and turned around. "The Rohirrim are missing," he pointed out as he motioned towards the map.

Haryn chuckled as he moved up closer to the map. "We don't know much about the Horse Riders. No Rohirrim has ever come here," he said. "Will they show up in the battle that is coming?" he asked.

Boromir turned back to the map as Haryn walked up and sat down by the table. "There is a big chance that they will. In times of need we send out the Red Arrow to summon them and they have not failed to come to our aid yet," he said.

Haryn nodded. "O.K. so say that they come. From where would they do so? We are going to have to plan for a lot of different scenarios in this battle…"

"And we are going to have to do it fast. A falcon just came in carrying news that Orcs are crawling out of the mountains and gathering by Osgiliath. The message said they've already taken the city or are close to do so," Sauron said as he walked into the room and sat down next to his son. He reached out and placed a hand on the raven's shoulder. "What are we discussing right now?" he asked.

"The Rohirrim," Haryn said. "Boromir thinks they will show up for the battle."

Sauron blinked in surprise and turned to the human. "If that is so, we need to include that in our planning. Where will they come from?" he asked.

"They will most likely come by the Great West Road," the brunet said as he sat down as well. "So the tactic is to let them gather by Minas Tirith?"

Saurn nodded. "And then grind them to powder against the walls. The walls at Minas Tirith are as strong as ours, right?" he said somewhat concerned.

Boromir leaned back in his chair as Haryn placed out little yellow statuettes on the map along the Great West Road. "The walls should be as strong as the walls here. As long we get there before they break the gate down, it should be alright. I'm more worried about the gate than the walls," he said.

Sauron nodded slowly. He turned towards the door as it opened and Dowaim and Khamûl entered. They sat down by the table. "We have no time to waste. The troops must be told to make ready at once. We have to leave in the morning," their ruler said. "Minas Tirith is in need of our aid."

"Haxoru's forces are still passing by us," Khamûl said. "We can't leave before they have passed." He moved forward and pushed several of the brown pieces to Morgulduin. "We're going to have to wait until after they've passed before we can move."

"It is going to be a close call if they are already gathering by the Fields of Pelennor," Boromir said.

"They are not there yet a great leader of men is holding up against them for now," Khamûl said.

"Faramir," the brunet breathed. _'What if he needs my help?'_ he thought. _'I could do more good helping him right now than sitting here.' _If the area in front of the Morgul Vale was full of Orcs, then he couldn't leave. He placed his face in his hands and groaned softly.

"Don't worry Boromir. Your brother knows we're coming; he won't risk doing something stupidly heroic," Haryn said. "And we're going to keep tight watch on the Enemy."

* * *

As the other discussed the upcoming battle, the two Hobbits were enjoying the peace and quiet of their room. They were not included in the battle plans. Not that it mattered to them. They didn't know anything about war.

Frodo looked out over Minas Morgul. He was worried about Merry and Pippin, but he didn't really know if a battlefield was the right place for him. He was not a fighter. He turned as Sam came walking up to him. "There is so much going on now, Sam," he said. "I don't really know what we should do now."

"There is going to be a big battle for big men. Us small folk should stay out of it," Sam said. "What could we really do out there but get in everyone's way." He pulled at the soft shirt that had been placed out for him after he'd washed up earlier. "Prince Haryn made it possible for us not to worry so much. And, you saw the people outside the gates. They have a big army here. They will be alright. Two little Hobbits are not going to make any difference here. We can rest for now," he said softly.

Frodo nodded slowly. He had started to lose hope of ever seeing the Shire again, but now with all of this that they'd know nothing about maybe they would win. He sighed softly. _'Well, at least we're done now,' _he thought. The Ring was gone. The burden he had been carrying since the Shire was gone and would never bother him again. He felt so tried. It would be nice to sleep in a proper bed again, and to not have to worry about getting up in the morning. He walked over to one of the soft beds and pulled the sheet to the side before climbing in.

Sam walked up to the window and looked out. The sky was dark, but it was not because the sun was setting. The darkness was caused by a thick brownish smoke. He hoped that things would turn out alright. _'Stay safe Merry and Pippin, stay safe,'_ he thought. He turned around only to see that Frodo had already gone to bed. A small smile reached his lips as he walked down to the other bed. Sleep sounded good.

* * *

Haryn closed his eyes slowly and hummed softly as his father's fingers ran through his the dark mess he called hair. He had missed this. Their time together. Sure he hadn't been gone for long, but he'd been gone long enough to start missing his father. To start missing the safety that the man provided him with. He shifted as Sauron started talking softly. The man was telling him about the situation in Mordor and about problems that had shown up in Minas Morgul itself. They were starting to get over crowded and even though they had done their best to make sure that everyone was treated the same it was starting to get hard to provide for all of them.

"That will solve itself when we get Mordor back father," Haryn said softly. "Don't give yourself ulcers over that."

Sauron shook his head. "It's not that simple son," he said. He had done his best to both teach his son and not overload the teen. There were so many things that Haryn didn't know or understood when it came to the ruling of their people. Now was not the time to teach him those things though.

"I'm coming with you whether you like it or not dada," Haryn said after a while. "I can't just sit here and wait for the army to return. It would drive me mad. I know you don't want me there for my safety's sake, but…" he sighed, "I need to be there." He looked up at the crimson haired man through thick lashes.

"You are too young Haryn. You are not coming with us," Sauron said decisively.

"I know more about fighting than most of the men in your army dada," Haryn said. "I have fought before now; you know that. If I can't come then neither should they. I have far more experience with keeping myself alive than they have." He moved away from his father and stood up. Folding his arms over his chest, he looked out over the city below them.

"You haven't even developed your wings yet son. You ARE TOO YOUNG," Sauron said forcefully.

"I don't need my wings to fight, dada. Besides I've got Moony. We can fight together."

"You're not coming with us, and that is my final word on the matter son," Sauron said as he stood up and walked over to the raven.

Haryn moved away from the man as he came closer. **_"Fine,"_** he hissed angrily before he jumped. Landing on a nearby cliff, he started running. He didn't care where he ended up right now as long as it wasn't anywhere near his father. _'Why can't he get that I have to go with him. I can't just sit here waiting for him to return… what if he doesn't return?'_ he thought as he ran before he closed his mind off. It wouldn't do to let his father just find him. He barely noticed that his feet had brought him into Mordor. He sank down among some rocks and lay back against the mountainside. Everyone he cared about but Imerall were leaving with the army… well he guessed that Moony and Padfoot would stay with him as well. If they didn't come back to him then, what would he do? Wait for Haxoru to come for him? He knew very well that he was no match for his uncle.

Sure they could come back alive too. With his luck though, they wouldn't.

Somewhere at the back of his head he knew that he was acting childishly. He knew why his father wanted him to stay safe. It was the very thing he'd been craving back on Earth. That someone else would fight the battles instead of him. He couldn't just sit still while people needed help though. Wasn't that was his father was teaching him? They had to be the ones to defend their people. Yes he was the heir so he needed to survive, but as he was now without them, he would never be able to lead their people.

He stood up slowly. The thick air was getting to him. He needed back out of there. Walking along the mountainside slowly, he let his ears tell him where the Orcs around him were. They scurried back and forth. Their metal clad feet clattering against the hard ground. Haryn didn't really know where he'd go, but he knew he wasn't returning to Minas Morgul. They could go have their war; he was not going to stand by the gates waiting for them.

…

Sauron closed his eyes and sighed. What had he done now? He had taken off after his son, but the boy was very good at moving fast over the ground. It was one of those things that grown Shrāl tended to lose after they'd gained their wings. He had lost sight of the raven almost immediately.

Landing back on the balcony that connected his room to Haryn's, he walked back into the citadel. He would have to find Khamûl and Dowaim. This was not a good time for the Prince to go missing. _'Why can't he understand I just want him safe?' _he asked himself. He couldn't lose the boy again. He caught sight of Dowaim and called the man over before explaining what had happened.

Dowaim sighed. It would be almost impossible for any of them to find Haryn if he didn't want to be found. "I told you from the start that he should be involved in this Sauron," he said. "It would have been better if you had said no then."

The fiery eyed man shook his head. "He would have left anyway back then. And he was right he was the best candidate. If he'd met with elves they would have been less apt to kill him simply because he is a child," he said. "He didn't fight them back in the war."

"What is going on now?" Khamûl asked as he came walking up to the other two. "You two look concerned."

"Haryn is missing," Sauron said. "I told him he couldn't come with us…"

"And he ran off," the iron-haired man filled in. "He cares about you… about all of us. He's afraid we won't come back."

"Of course we will come back," Dowaim said confidently.

Khamûl smiled at him. "If you're so confident about it then why can't Haryn come too?" he asked. "He can beat you in a fight if he putts his mind to it. Both of you seem to forget that he is far more mature than any other Shrāl his age… not that there are any other Shrāl his age. He knows what he's getting himself into. I'd rather he came with us where we can keep an eye on him than leave him behind and have no idea what he might get himself into. Mordor is just next door you know. What if he decides to go there and face Haxoru?" He moved so he could lean back against the wall. "We all love him, but with his upbringing he's is an adult in mind in many ways. No he doesn't know half the things he needs to know, but he does know how to take care of himself. He could disappear out there and never return. I'm not saying we simply give in to his will," he said with a glare Dowaim's way. The white-haired man had been muttering things towards that end. "But there is going to be two battles. I'd rather have him in this one than in the next one. Humans and Orcs aren't that dangerous to him. He has the same chance of surviving as the rest of us. And he has the best chance of making friends with the humans."

"You are just soft hearted Khamûl. He needs to learn that he can't always get his way," Dowaim said.

Magenta eyes drilled into the white-haired man. "I'm not soft and Haryn definitely doesn't always get his way with me. But now is not the time… I've been speaking to Boromir and it is obvious that he would prefer to have Haryn with us," he said and turned to Sauron. "Haryn has without knowing it taken up the responsibility of dealing with our foreign relations. Make it clear to him that if he is coming with us that is his responsibility, and he will have to deal with it no matter what happens. You will either scare him off, or he will take the task up and do a really good job of it."

Sauron thought about what his two closest confidants had told him. They were both right in so many ways. "It doesn't matter if we can't find him before the army leaves," he said.

…

Haryn looked down at Minas Morgul. In the end he hadn't gone far. He was sitting on a ledge created high up in the mountainside lining the Morgul Vale's north side. He could see everything from up there. From time to time he could sense his father trying to get in contact with him. He wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to the man or not though. He had spent so many years without someone who cared about him enough to order him to stay safe that it was difficult for him to accept the whole thing.

He could feel yet another probe towards his connection with his father and this time he opened his own mind up. "Yes," he said neutrally.

"Haryn please come back home," Sauron said softly.

"Why should I? You've been talking to Dowaim and he thinks you should just lock me up to teach me that I can't always get my way never mind that I spent years of my life locked up in a small confined space. You lock me up and Minas Morgul burns. I won't even be in control of it. I know myself dada. I can't take confinement," the raven said his voice so matter-of-factly that Sauron had to close his eyes and bow his head. Not that Haryn could see that.

"Yes I spoke to Dowaim, but I spoke with Khamûl too," Sauron said. "I don't want you with us… for your own safety. But Khamûl came up with several rather good arguments for why you should come. If you're coming with us you take on all our foreign relations from this day onwards. It will be your duty to deal with other countries. No matter what happens. If you think you can do that… then you can come with us."

Haryn closed his eyes. He knew exactly what Khamûl was playing at. He stood up slowly. This was a compromise. He could handle a compromise. It didn't take him long to get back to his father's room. "I'm sorry for disappearing," he mumbled as he buried his face in his father's shoulder.

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you," Sauron said.

"Can I think about it," Haryn asked.

"Of course."


	12. Power Play at Pelennor Fields

**Power Play at Pelennor Fields**

The horses snorted impatiently as their riders guided them forwards slowly. The sky above was dark and the field before them was filled with Orcs and evil men. The air was heavy and all noise dulled. Eyes travelled over the hoard before them. They came to the aid of Gondor.

Then the wind changed. It had been blowing from the Mountain of Fire carrying ashes in its wake, but now it blew clear and fresh from the South. Clouds could be seen in the distance. Light was returning to the world slowly.

A voice called clearly for the Riders of Rohan to hear, "Arise, arise, Riders of Théoden! Fell deeds awake: fire and slaughter! Spear shall be shaken, shield be splintered, a sword-day, a red day, before the sun rises! Ride now, ride now! Ride to Gondor!"

The sound of a horn tore through the air followed by many. It was as if a storm drew over the plain and thunder tore through the mountains. Then the horses were moving after the king's banner. They would break over the hoards of Orcs like a tidal wave hitting the shore. Light came with their assault, and their enemies fled before them. In the far distance, big shapes stepped out of the fading darkness. A rider pulled his reins in. His eyes widened as he recognised the Haradrim on their Mûmakil. He called out to the men around him. The great beasts would not be easily slain. And as a shadow fell over the King of the Mark a lone shape moved out from between the Mûmakil. It was not left alone for long as other joined the first.

The rider blinked in confusion as the shapes moved up and cut their way through the horde of Orcs fleeing their way. Swift was their onslaught and they moved quickly towards the Men of the Mark.

A great beast landed right next to a young soldier and tore an Orc in two. "Mount your steed once more Rider of Rohan," a steady voice said. The soldier looked up. Atop of the great wolf sat a strange looking man with horns sticking out of his unruly black hair and feet like a big birds but scaled in black. The soldier stood up shakily and moved over to his nervous horse. "You are not here to kill us?" he asked in Westron.

The young raven laughed. "If I was here to kill you, you would be drinking in the halls of your forefathers already," he said. "Who is the leader of this army?" he asked.

"Grimbold leads us but the King Théoden is…"

"I care little for your inner politics right now, Grimbold will do," the raven said.

The soldier looked around before pointing. "He is the one with the plumed helmet over there," he said and the wolf and his rider were off in an instance.

…

Moony moved swiftly towards the man that Haryn needed to speak to. He avoided the horse riders as well as he could. An Orc came in his way and he stomped it down, claws digging into its armour.

"Grimbold!" Haryn called out as they reached a group of riders. A spear came sailing his way, he moved around on top of Moony so he could catch the projectile with one of his feet. "Grimbold," he called once more.

A man raised a hand to stop the ones around him from attacking. "You know my name stranger. What business do you have with me but fight?" he asked.

"I ride with Boromir of Gondor to aid Minas Tirith in its time of need our goals are the same Captain of Rohan," Haryn said as Moony moved forward slowly. "We are here to fight the same enemy…"

A screech tore through the air.

Haryn cursed. "Howl Moony," he said and the great wolf threw his head back and let out a deep long howl. In the distance the Haradrim started moving. "Look we don't have time to argue this right now," he said as he turned back to Grimbold. He lifted the spear that had been thrown at him and turned it around so he was holding it handle first towards the man. "Give that back to whoever threw it and please don't attack our forces," he said before he ordered the wolf beneath him to move once more.

Grimbold sat silent in his saddle for a few seconds before he turned to his men. "Let it be known that the Haradrim are our allies in this battle," he called before throwing himself back into the fight.

* * *

Théoden placed a hand against Snowmane's back. The steed had fallen on top of him. The shadow of a featherless bird settled above him. It was a hideous beast bread by the Dark Lord. Where the man had found them no one knew. It settled upon the body of Snowmane as it let out a croaking cry. Upon the beat sat a shape, black-mantled, huge and threatening. It was one Men called the Witch King of Angmar, the leader of the Nine. Wielding a great black mace, he descended upon the battlefield bring darkness where light had sprung.

The King's men lay slain around him or had been carried away by the fear of their horses, but one young man still stood by his side. It was a man known to the Riders as Dernhelm. He stood fearless despite the terror that had caught the hearts of others. "Begone, foul dwimmerlaik, lord of carrion! Leave the dead in peace!" he said.

A cold voice answered him, "Do not come between the Nazgûl and his prey! Or you will not be slain in your turn. You will be carried away to the houses of lamentation, beyond all darkness, where your flesh shall be devoured, and your shrivelled mind will be left naked to the Lidless Eye."

A sword rang as it was drawn. "Do what you will; but I will stop it if I can," Dernhelm said.

"Stop me? You fool. No living man can stop me!" the Lord of the Nazgûl said.

A great roar tore through the air as a wolf landed next to Dernhelm. "Then it's a good thing that there are no men here, then," Haryn said as he slipped off Moony and landed next to the young soldier. He moved and along his hands flames begun a deadly dance. "Is that not right my Lady," he said as he turned to the person standing next to him.

A hand was raise and the helmet the soldier had worn pulled off. "I am Éowyn, Éomund's daughter. You stand between me and my lord and kin. Begone, if you are not eternal! For living or dark undead, I will slice you, if you touch him," she said.

"Oh, do not fear my lady, he can die just like any other man," Haryn said as he walked forward. "Attack Moony," he roared and the great wolf tore into the winged beast that carried the Nazgûl. The beast cried in pain and moved back away from the King of Rohan. The young raven turned towards the warrior maiden and smiled. "Give me your sword arm and I shall grant you something that will no doubt bring death to our enemy," he said.

Èowyn moved forward. The young man that had appeared was strange to her, but she sensed no deceit in his words and the beast he had ridden into battle was still tearing into the winged monster that had been about to consume her Uncle. A warm hand touched her wrist before a strange blackness moved out over the metal of her blade.

Before them the Black Rider fell off his steed. He rose in anger, his fearsome mace falling to the ground. He raised it with a wide swing towards his opponents only to meet with thin air. They had moved apart swiftly avoiding his strike.

Haryn moved forward. He dodged another swing from the Nazgûl's mace and grabbed a hold of the man's shoulders before dragging his sharp claws down the man's back ripping at his armour. He ducked to the side as the Black Rider turned around to hit him. His leg came up, and he grabbed the man's arm in his foot before pulling roughly. He saw how Éowyn moved back after delivering her own blow to their foe. Filling his lungs with air, he blew it out with a cloud of black flames towards the man.

The Lord of the Nazgûl stood up shakily as his armour burned. He raised his mace one last time and sent it flying towards the woman he'd been fighting. Crash! It took out her shield and sent her backwards. This did not stop the fair Shield Maiden of Rohan however. She moved forward despite the pain going through her arm and rammed her sword straight through the Black Rider's skull. The sword broke into shards, and Éowyn fell forward. Her fall was hindered however by strong arms that wrapped around her.

"There we do not what the beauty of Rohan to be tarnished by fire," Haryn said softly as he lifted her up in his arms. He carried her over to the King and laid her down beside him. A small shape moved up next to him and he reached out to place his had on the head of a Hobbit. He followed the honey-blond man over to the king's side. Reaching out, he placed his hands against the king's chest carefully. "There is nothing I can do for him," he said softly. He placed his hand against the young Hobbit's shoulder. "I'm sorry." He stood up straight once more and walked a bit away from the fallen ones. "Moony let's get out there. There is still much to be done," he said. He sat up on the great wolf as Riders came towards them. As he made no move towards them, they paid him little mind at first.

Tears were shed and words spoken as they looked upon the death around them. And then their leader let out a great call as he noticed Éowyn. "The warrior maiden is not dead," he said clearly as he moved forward slowly. "Valiantly she fought to protect the soul of her king."

The blond man froze as he had been about to rush towards the enemy horde that still stood. He looked up at the raven-haired young man, and then back to Éowyn.

Haryn dropped down from Moony's back once more and walked up to Éowyn. He lifted her head up slowly before pulling a vial from his belt. "This shall keep her safe until such a time when her wounds can be fully healed," he said softly as he poured the clear liquid down her throat. He laid her back down before walking up to the man who now seemed to be the riders' king. "Let us go together. One last strike against our foes King of Rohan," he said. "I am the prince and heir of the Forgotten Peoples." He turned to Moony. "Let them know my friend," he said. The wolf lifted his head and howled clearly. "There will be no place for them to go," he said darkly.

Éomer nodded slowly. He sat up in the saddle of his horse, and they took off together towards the Orcs and evil men. As they moved another man rode up next to Haryn. "Boromir!" the raven called happily. He looked towards the Haxoru's horde before letting out a loud roar himself. From the ground all around them rose Shrāl their wings carrying them towards the thick of the battle. Fire and ice tore through the enemy ranks. "That is the power of our people. Come on Moony let's show these men what we're made off." Beneath him the wolf started moving faster, and they had soon left the two humans behind.

…

Slowly the onslaught of the Rohirrim drove the enemy back towards the river of Anduin or towards the wall of Haradrim on their Mûmakil to meet their doom.

Boromir and Éomer had both joined Haryn once more as they stood overlooking the riverbank. Ships were coming, and they carried reinforcements; but for whom they did not know. Haryn turned his head as a heartbreaking roar tore through the air. His hands tightened in Moony's fur. "Someone close to Khamûl has fallen," he said softly. "That was his voice."

Boromir looked over at him with a concerned gaze. "I am sure that your father is still fighting," he said. "He is too stubborn to die here."

The raven nodded slowly. He raised his head and let out a cry gathering the Shrāl around them to him. Among those that came was Maya. "Haryn-himon," she said. He smiled down at her softly. "We need the boats to burn if they are filled with our enemies," he said.

Maya nodded before spreading her dark-blue wings once more.

Horns sounded in the distance.

"They are calling for retreat," Éomer said calmly.

Haryn rolled his eyes. "There is no need to retreat. If the ships carry our enemies they will not set foot upon the riverbank. His eyes followed the Shrāl he had sent towards the ships as they stopped in mid air. A cry tore through the air. "Friends," Haryn said. "Why don't we go down there and greet them?" Moony started moving as soon as he'd finished talking.

The two humans looked at each other for a spilt second before they moved their steeds to follow the young Shrāl. And as they rode a wind caught a great banner in the foremost ship and pulled it out. There the great White Tree of Gondor was displayed under Seven Stars and the high crown of Elendil. The heir to the throne of Gondor had come.

The three of them rode through the enemy ranks forcing them to each side as they headed for the ships. Haryn stood up on Moony's back and let out a roar that quelled their foes and called the rest of his people to battle. He jumped off the wolf's back as an Orc took a swing at his feet before he grabbed the monsters weapon and spewed flames all over him. All around him battle waged. But they were victorious. He reached a man that had been thrown off his horse and stopped the weapon that came to deliver his doom before flames overtook the beast. Reaching down, he helped the man back up on his feet. With a smirk he was gone once more. He made his way back to Éomer and Boromir swiftly. The two seemed to have met up with the leader of the new troops.

"Are we having a reunion now," he asked innocently. Numerous bows were raised his way. "Boromir," he wined. "Make them stop."

The dark-haired man sighed as he walked up in front of the Shrāl Prince. "Brat," he said under his breath.

"Boromir? How? You fell to the Uruk-Hai's arrows?" a dark-haired man with a start on his brow asked.

"I did not die there. Though, I might have had this young man not saved my life," Boromir said. "We owe him the victory we now have. Without him and the forces of the Forgotten Peoples we might not have won this battle."

"Do not listen to them Aragorn," Legolas said. "The fire breathing people seek only our destruction."

Haryn snorted. "Of course an elf would say that," he said. "The last time our peoples fought didn't turn out too well for either of us. And neither was in the right that time. We came now because Boromir asked for our help. We are his allies in this battle. Feuds of old will do you no good here elf," his tone was calm and collected with no venom or hatred.

"Lower your bow Legolas. For now Boromir trusting them is enough for me, and there is still many a foe for you to use those arrows on," Aragorn said.

Their little group dispersed among the enemies that were standing still. Blood flowed over the ground as swords broke and shields shattered. Fires burned and wings torn as the Shrāl continued fighting.

* * *

The sky was burning orange as Haryn made his way back towards the main force of the Haradrim. He still did not know who had fallen and fear was gripping at him. _'What if it was father?'_ he thought. Then to his relief there was a flash of crimson hair and his father stood before him. He dropped off Moony's back and into his father's waiting arms. "Dada," he whispered softly.

"I'm glad you are O.K. bérren-ka," Sauron said. He tightened his hold on Haryn. "Dowaim is dead," he said softly. "We want to take him back home, but we can't all leave with what's going on." He lifted a hand so he could run it through his son's hair. Tears stained the cloth of his armour as Haryn started crying. He moved his arms down so he could lift his son up. He carried the teen with him over to a small campfire and sat down. "Hush bérren-ka," he said softly. Long fingers reached up and ran through the mess of hair on Haryn's head.

They sat like that for quite some time.

"Dowaim's gone?" the raven whispered softly. He looked up at his father. "Can I see him?" he asked. His big green eyes were filled with glistening tears.

Sauron rubbed his forehead. He didn't really want his son to see… he sighed. "Yes of course," he said before he helped the teen up. He stood up slowly, took Haryn's hand and led the teen over to a small tent. He pulled one of the flaps aside to let the raven in.

Dowaim lay on a white stretcher. His hair blended in with the fabric beneath his head. He looked to be sleeping, and Haryn would have thought that was the case if there hadn't been a deep bloody tear in his throat. He sat down next to the white-haired man and reached out to move some hair out of the man's face. He couldn't kid himself now. The man was dead. There was no two ways about it. Tears started running down his cheeks once more. For three years Dowaim had been his teacher his mentor… and now he was gone. He breathed in slowly. They would leave as soon as they could so that he could be buried in accordance with their traditions. He wouldn't be going with them though. He had to deal with their newfound allies. He placed his head down on the man's chest slowly.

"I'll miss you… you know," he said softly. He moved up and kissed the man on the forehead before standing up slowly. He walked out to his father and buried his face in the man's chest. "Why did he have to die?" he whispered.

Sauron closed his eyes as he rested his shin against the raven's head. "I don't know son, I don't know," he said softly.


	13. Old Grudges

**Old Grudges**

Haryn closed his eyes and sighed. He really didn't want to deal with reality right now. He could feel as a hand landed on his shoulder. Someone sat down next to him. Arms wrapped around his waist before he was pulled back into a lap. A soft female voice started singing as fingers moved up to run through his hair.

Time passed.

The sun rose slowly.

A shadow fell over the two suddenly.

"Sauron-himon," Maya said.

"Maya dear will you stay with Haryn," the Lord of the Forgotten Peoples said softly. He kneeled down next to them. "Haryn-ka," he said as he stroked a lock of hair out of the boy's face. The teen's green eyes opened slowly.

"You're leaving now, dada?" the raven asked softly as he reached up towards his father.

Sauron nodded. "Yes we're leaving now," he said. "Maya will stay with you because I really don't like the idea of leaving you here alone." He grabbed the raven and pulled him up in a hug. "You take care of yourself now son," he said softly.

"I will," Haryn said. He sighed. "I really don't like this," he mumbled.

"I know son. There is no other way to do this though," Sauron said. He let go of the raven and stroked his hand through the dark locks. "I'll see you soon bérren-ka," he said. He was starting to regret the agreement he had made with his son to let him come along in the first place.

"We'll pick you up before going to Mordor," Haryn said. He turned towards Minas Tirith. "I'll see you soon dada," he said before he started walking towards the White City. Heavy paws could be heard behind him and Maya joined him.

"So we are supposed to convince the leaders of several nations that we are not evil," the green haired woman said.

"Yes that… that is just about what we need to do," Haryn said. "It is going to be interesting." He looked up at Moony as the wolf joined them as well. "Are you up to carrying the both of us or should we just run?" he asked.

"Let him rest Haryn-himon," Maya said with a smile. "We could use a good run."

Haryn laughed. "Well I guess that decides it," he said. He ran his finger through the wolf's fur.

'She has opinions that one,' Moony said.

"Yeah."

'I'm not really tired, but since the lady has spoken, I guess we'll do it her way,' the wolf said.

"Race you there!" Haryn called out before he started running towards the city.

The sun was rising slowly. The rays made Anduin gleam like a silver band through the green landscape. There were people out on the field gathering the dead together.

Haryn noticed the dead body of the beast that the Nazgûl had ridden to battle. "We should help them deal with that," he said. He changed course towards the horrid cadaver. A set of swords was his greeting as he reached the disgusting thing. "I'm not here to fight you," Haryn said as he raised his hands up palms out. They were Men of Rohan who were gathering their dead together. "Back off a bit Moony," the raven said. "I rode with Éomer during the battle," he told the Rohirrim.

"You saved me yesterday," one of the men said. He walked out in front of the others and said something in their own melodic language. Eventually as the young man spoke the others lowered their weapons. "What is your business here?" the one who seemed to be their leader asked.

Haryn pointed towards the winged monster's carcass. "I can set fire to that and burn it down without having its stench spread," he said. "The fire will not spread from the beast."

"That would be appreciated," the man said. Neither he nor any of his men felt comfortable stepping up closer to the remains.

Haryn nodded understating the men's aversion to the beast. He walked up closer to the carcass and let out a breath of black flames. He saw no reason to drag out the burning so he increased the potency of the flames until they were burning the beast's very bones to dust. The flames faded and only burn grass was left behind. The raven bowed his head to the Rohirrim before he and his companions started running once more.

It was easy to get in to the city with how the gate had been destroyed during the battle, and there was no one who dared to stop him from entering not with Moony beside him. "Can you find Boromir?" Haryn asked the wolf softly. "I believe it would be wiser to show up with him," he said.

Moony nodded. 'I can try,' he said before he started sniffing around for the man's scent. It took him a while because of the amount of people that had been moving through that part of the city recently, but he did find the man's scent and started moving with it as it travelled up through the city. He could hear peoples' fearful shouts as he passed them.

Boromir's scent led them to a set of connected houses. 'He is within,' he told the raven as the teen joined him.

Haryn nodded slowly. "It would probably be better if the two of you waited out here," he said as he placed a hand against the door.

"Of course himon-ka," Maya said with a small smile.

Haryn rolled his eyes as he entered the first house. He stepped inside and was soon greeted by the Warden of the house. "I seek Boromir," he said calmly.

The Warden gave him a stern glance. "I do not know who you are but…"

"Calm, he is with me and shall speak with me if he so wishes," a deep voice said from behind the man.

The Warden turned and bowed to Boromir while saying, "Of course my Lord," before moving out of the raven's way.

Haryn walked up to Boromir who led him into a room where his brother lay upon a bed. "He will heal in time," the brunet said softly. "They tell me that my father in his madness almost killed Faramir," he told the raven.

Haryn shook his head with a sigh. "There are many things that Haxoru must answer for," he said. He turned his head to the man. "His wounds are not what is holding him down but rather it is a darkness over his mind," he said. "This I cannot help him with." He placed a hand of comfort on Boromir's arm. "He'll be fine eventually though," he said.

Boromir nodded. "We spoke some earlier," he said softly. "He was glad that I was still alive." He chuckled ironically. "Like I was ever in any real danger," he said.

"Don't," Haryn said earning him a questioning gaze. "Don't blame yourself for what your father did to Faramir. You have no idea what Denethor would have done if you had showed up here. He was convinced that you were dead after all."

Boromir closed his eyes and sighed. There was truth in the raven's words, but he still felt bad for what had happened to his little brother.

…

They sat there together for some time as Faramir slept before they heard voices in the outer room. There was a careful knock on the door to the room they were in and a voice saying that there where some people out there that wanted to speak to Boromir. The brunet stood up slowly before walking over to the door and disappearing outside.

Haryn sighed. He could hear the murmur of voices out there for a while before the door opened once more.

"Aragorn wishes to speak with me about what to do next. You should come as well. I cannot speak for the Forgotten Peoples after all," Boromir said quietly.

The raven stood up with a nod of his head and followed the brunet out of the House of Healing. They picked up Maya and Moony on the way before heading down to the city gates. When Haryn asked why they were going down there Boromir had answered, "Aragorn has decided he does not wish to enter the city at this time so we are meeting him outside the city instead." Haryn had nodded in understanding, and they had continued through the streets in silence.

When they reached the tent in which the Captains had gathered. Maya followed her Prince inside this time. She was not going to leave him alone around people she held no trust for. In the tent with them were Éomer, who smiled to them in greeting, a man who Boromir introduced as Prince Imrahil, an aged wizard, who reminded Haryn somewhat of Dumbledore though the air around him was different, Aragorn himself and two elves. The elves tensed as they saw the two Shrāl, but they did not attack or say anything as of yet. Haryn sat down next to Boromir with Maya standing behind him. They were the last to arrive for the meeting.

Haryn leaned back as the aged wizard stood before them. "My lords," the man said, "listen to the words told by the Steward of Gondor before he died: 'You may triumph on the fields of the Pelennor for a day, but against the Power that has now risen there is no victory.' I do not propose that you despair, as he did, but that you ponder the truth in these words." His gaze travelled over the men gathered. "The Stones of Seeing do not lie, and not even the Lord of Barad-dûr can make them do so. He can, maybe, by his will choose what will be seen by weaker minds, or cause them to misunderstand the meaning of what they see. Nonetheless there is no doubt that when Denethor saw great forces gathered against him in Mordor, and more still coming, he saw what truly was," he said.

"Ah, that may be true master wizard," Haryn said as he stood up before the others. "But none can be sure if the forces that I and my kin brought to this battle were seen by Denethor as enemies or allies." He turned towards the two elves. "And I do not doubt Haxoru's capability to delude the minds of his enemies as it has been done before to elves and not just men. Whether he could or could not do it through these Stones you speak of is another matter and not something I can comment on," he said calmly.

"Haxoru? Who is this man of which you speak?" Imrahil asked.

"He is the current Lord of Barad-dûr," Haryn answered. "He would have you believe he is Sauron, the very Sauron that once upon a time was Morgoth's lieutenant, but this is not so. The fallen Maia died long before the Battle of Dagorlad took place. He was killed by my father." He turned once more to the two elves. "The one that the elves fought. I do not know what started the old wars and have no interest in the reasons at this point. Things have changed since then. The Dark Lord may call himself Sauron, but he is not the king of the Shrāl. Amongst the dragon-kin only a few stood by Haxoru's side after the Battle of Dagorlad. You have seen what they have become. You call them Black Riders or Nazgûl. Though, the Nazgûl originally were the generals and confidants of the King." His eyes fell to the ground. "We are not the enemy here," he said softly. "We wish to help. We live here too. Endor is our home as well. We do not wish to see it destroyed." He looked over to Aragorn. "I am the Prince and throne heir of the Forgotten Peoples. I offer you our full assistance should this come down to a fight with Haxoru's forces." Returning to his seat he sat down slowly. He wasn't sure what else he could say at this point. His eyes rose. "It may be good for you to know that the Ring… I do not care what you wish to call it, but the ring carried by two young Hobbits came to my possession, and as my father and I had agreed on, I destroyed it. Frodo and Samwise are safe within the walls of Minas Morgul that is our home."

Aragorn met his eyes with a relived gaze.

"And how can we trust that you are telling us the truth?" one of the elves asked.

Haryn tilted his head and chuckled lightly. "We have helped so far," he said. "The wielders of the Rings of old would know that it is gone. What reason would we have to kill the Hobbits? I know that we will most likely never see eye to eye with the fair people. But your kin are leaving these shores. We extend a hand in peace to the Kings of Men. We want Mordor back. It is our homeland." He shifted in his seat. "It is mere fact that if we had wanted mankind dead we would have aided Haxoru in their destruction, and you would not be alive today. Boromir is here only because I saved his life. This city still stands because I wanted to help you. In many ways my father does not care about the other peoples living in Endor because our people are the ones that you drove out. The Forgotten Ones are the peoples whose lands you have claimed for yourself and those that have been thrown out whether for good or bad. With us they have flourished."

Boromir nodded slowly. "Yes Sauron killed Elendil," he said. "But he did so because Haxoru had convinced him that men had snuck into Barad-dûr and killed his infant son. We can all accept that a father could lose it if that happened."

Haryn smiled softly at him. "I have travelled into Mordor myself. And seen with my own eyes the army that has gathered there, and we can beat it, especially if we release the fires of Orodruin onto his forces. My people can do that without harm coming to them," he said. "What we do from here I cannot decide. It is up to you. We will fight though. I can promise you that." He met Aragorn's eyes once more.

"Then what of the Great Eye?" asked Éomer, "or is this contraption not real?"

Haryn looked over to the blond man. "It is powered by a set of crystals and exists only to scare you. Though I suppose Haxoru can use it to see wide and far with if he so chooses, but he is no more than a Shrāl and he can be killed," he answered the question.

…

After that they spoke in length about how to proceed. Though, one thing was certain: they would fight.

Haryn leaned back as the others talked. He had already made clear that they would fight full force as well as given them a number when it came to how many men they would provide. Now it was up to them. He was nowhere near as afraid of how the upcoming battle would turn out as the others were. He knew they could win. A warm hand landed on his shoulder, and he turned his head to smile up at Maya. A sigh escaped him as the men spoke. He could understand their concerns. They did not wish to leave Minas Tirith without protection.

Eventually the talking died down. Haryn lost in his own thoughts did not notice when the others left. A light squeeze on his shoulder told him that something was going on eventually. He looked up only to notice that only the wizard and Aragorn still remained.

"I am curious as to how you destroyed the Ring," the wizard said. "I would have believed it impossible to destroy it in any way but to cast into the fires in which it was once made."

"That, as I told the Hobbits when I destroyed the ring, assumes that the ring was forged in the fires of Orodruin in the first place. Father created the ring with his own flames not the fires of the mountain," Haryn said. "The stories about the ring are just that…Stories nothing more. It was never any more powerful than the elves' rings. Father didn't enslave humans. He did do his best to hinder the human rulers – who he gave rings to – from killing his people and those that fled to the safety he provided once upon a time." He stood up slowly. "In time history is corrupted and forgotten. We remember what we wish to remember and forget our own mistakes. Father is no better. But now is now. We can make a difference now. That is what matters." He walked over to the opening of the tent and looked outside. "I am considered a young child by my people's standard but I have seen more death than most of the adults. I'm older in mind than I am in years. It is my task to deal with our relationship with other peoples," he said softly. "I don't mind starting that now." He offered them a small smile before leaving the tent.

He and Moony spent several hours after that just wandering around. The raven had a hard time just settling down somewhere. He missed his father and Khamûl and Dowaim. Finally sitting down, he could feel the warmth of Moony lying down behind him. The great wolf's presence was comforting. Suddenly he wondered how things were going for those he had left behind. Had they read his will? He hadn't cared about a lot of people back on Earth, but still, he hoped they were alright.

The army would leave for the last battle in two days time. He would have to travel ahead so that his people would be ready when the time came. There was no need to leave yet though. He would probably set out with the rest of the army.

"I want to travel," he told Moony softly. "Maybe not directly after the war, but I'd like to see the whole of Endor. Even the Shire, though, I'd probably scare the poor Hobbits." He chuckled warmly. He was trying his best not to think about Dowaim. He knew that would just make him depressed.

His eyes fluttered closed slowly. He needed sleep and the sun was shining on his dark scales warming him up pleasantly. His head rolled to the side as he fell asleep against Moony's side. The wolf would protect him, he knew that.


	14. What have you done?

**What have you done?**

The army moved slowly. They had crossed Anduin by midday. Haryn rode beside Boromir and Imrahil before the Men of Gondor. He had sent Maya ahead with news of their march. She would prepare what forces were supposed to go with them. He closed his eyes and pulled in a deep breath. "Don't let me fall Moony," he said softly before he connected to his father's mind. "Dada," he said calmly.

It took a little while before he could feel his father's mind join his. "Yes bérren-ka?" Sauron said.

"When I was discussing how to deal with Haxoru with the others I came to think of something we could use to our advantage," the raven said. He could feel his father's curiosity travel over the link so he continued. "We can withstand extremely high temperatures right?" he asked.

"Yes bérren-ka, we can," Sauron answered wondering where his son was going.

"Couldn't we break down Orodruin and drown the Orcs in lava. It would make the army we have to face much smaller," Haryn said. "And if you led that assault then you could concentrate on taking Haxoru out as well so he wouldn't be our problem. That would also mean that you wouldn't need to worry as much about me."

Sauron leaned back in the chair he was sitting in and thought his son's proposition over. His bérren-ka was right. If he attacked directly from Minas Morgul and destroyed Orodruin, it would decrease the amount of Orcs that would make it to Morannon, and he could take up the fight directly with Haxoru thereby removing that threat from his son completely. He liked the idea. It would be a bit tricky to pull off, but he was sure he could manage. "I'll send Khamûl with the Haradrim and a few Shrāl out of the Morgul Vale in early morn," he informed his son. "Your reasoning is sound and makes me feel more at ease with your decision to continue with the army."

Haryn laughed. "Well I thought it might please you," he said happily. Then his brow furrowed. "So do I contact you the morning before we reach the gate so you can attack or…?" he trailed off.

"That is a good idea," Sauron said thoughtfully. His eyes trailed over the map lying on the table in front of him before they found their way to the open window. "How are you doing bérren-ka?" he asked softly. He was worried about his son. They had lost Dowaim after all, and no matter how much of a disagreement the two had before the battle at Pelennor, Haryn had loved the white-haired man.

A soft sigh made its way through their link. "I'm trying not to think about it right now. We can deal with it after the fighting is over," Haryn said. "Right now I'm just trying to keep my head together and look forward. Mourning him will just have to come later… when I'm back home."

Sauron did his best to send a comforting warmth over the link to his son. "Take care bérren-ka," he said.

Haryn let a small smile grace his lips. "You take care too dada," he said. His eyes refocused on the world around him slowly as he let go of their connection. He turned to Boromir. "Father is preparing the troops to set out tomorrow morning and meet us. He himself will lead the attack on Orodruin," he informed the man.

Boromir nodded slowly. "We will be setting camp soon," he said. "The men need rest and the sun is setting."

The raven looked towards the west and the burning sky of the setting sun. He must have been talking to his father longer than he'd thought.

He felt how Moony stopped as Imrahil called the soldiers to a halt. The wolf moved up next to Boromir before lying down heavily on the ground. Haryn smiled softly at him as he slipped off his back. "You doing O.K.?" the teen asked.

Moony snorted. 'I'm fine Harry,' he said reassuringly. He was actually more impatient than anything else. He knew that another battle was coming, and he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into more of those corrupted monsters. He'd never allowed that kind of blood-thirst to take hold back on earth when he was still part human. Spending several years as a wolf tended to change you perspective of things though. It was in his nature to fight for his pack. It was his job to keep them safe; he was the alpha after all. He curled up around the raven haired teen as the boy sat down against his side.

Slowly the wolf could feel how Haryn fell asleep. He lay awake for some time afterwards keeping his eyes and ears on alert for anything that might want to harm the teen.

A soft breeze pulled at the standards that the men carried with them.

Horses neighed.

Green eyes closed slowly as the giant wolf fell asleep.

* * *

Khamûl watched as the Haradrim made themselves ready to leave. It was his mission to keep the young Prince alive though the battle to come. Not that he was really all that worried about Haryn. The boy knew how to handle himself. He was actually far more worried about his old friend. There were so many things that Haxoru could have up his sleeve when Sauron came to face him. He could only hope that it would all go well.

The order went out and the troops started marching. They would join with the others a bit up the road. There was no point in them travelling extra to meet up with the main part of the army when that would just slow everything down. He spread his wings out with a grimace. No one ever really got used to the feeling of pulling their scaled wings out of their back; some couldn't even hide them that way. He took to the air with a few powerful stokes and looked down on the people he was co-leading.

They were strong men with good bow arms, and their Mûmakil set fear in the hearts of their enemies. Khamûl was glad that they were allies even though his own people didn't have to fear the big beasts that the Haradrim rode upon. It had been a wise move to help them so long ago.

The pace was slow and steady.

No resistance was met upon the road.

Knowing the Orcs they had fled back to Mordor as fast as they could.

…

It wasn't until they reached the forests of northern Ithilien that Khamûl could see the army that Haryn was travelling with in the distance. Not that he could see them for long since the trees were soon obscuring his view.

They rode slowly through a sea of lush green leaves. Birds chirped happily as they jumped between the branches around them. Little specks of red and blue and yellow hopped around. They had no idea that they could have been completely destroyed. Hopefully that would never come to pass now.

The steady swaying of the Mûmakil Khamûl was sitting on lulled him into a meditative state. He hoped that Haryn was doing alright all things considered. Dowaim's death had been a hard blow to all of them, but he had a feeling that Haryn would be affected the most.

…

Haryn smiled brightly as the sun hit the golden accessories that the Haradrim wore. Khamûl would arrive before them at this rate. He could hear the nervous murmur of the soldiers behind them. "The Haradrim are here to help us. Just like back at Minas Tirith," he said calmingly. "They are allies of my people." He wasn't sure if his words calmed the men down any, but they didn't seem quite as tense anymore.

They didn't catch up with the Mûmakils until the setting of the sun.

Haryn fell asleep in Khamûls lap that evening. It was nice to be back with someone he could relax completely around. Not that Moony wasn't good enough for that, but the wolf couldn't talk to the people around him. With Khamûl he didn't have to worry that someone was going to do something that set the man of in a frenzy like with Moony.

* * *

Five or so days later the army came at last to Cirith Gorgor the haunted pass.

From above the Nazgûl watched them.

"Father's attack should pull them towards him," Haryn said softly to Boromir.

The brunet nodded slowly. He disliked the dark beings but did not fear them as so many others. The young Shrāl beside him had taught him just how to fight the corrupted dragon-kin so he wasn't as worried as those who thought the Black Riders unbeatable.

They rode over a small hill, and Haryn looked upon the black gate for the fist time in his life. He ran a hand through his dark locks. _'That's gotta go,'_ he thought before he closed his eyes. "Dada," he said through the mind link he shared with his father.

"I hear you son," Sauron answered.

"We have arrived. It's time to move," the raven said softly his worry for his father colouring his thoughts.

"Don't worry about me son I'll be alright," Sauron said reassuringly. "I need you to believe in me bérren-ka."

Haryn looked up towards the gate once more, his head had fallen as they spoke, and he took a deep breath. "I believe in you father. You take care of that foolish man yeah," he said. "Remember that he tried to kill me."

A roar tore though the mountains.

"What did you tell him himon-ka?" Khamûl asked surprised at the force of his King's voice.

"I reminded him that Haxoru tried to kill me," Haryn said as a matter-of-factly. "I don't want him to go soft against his brother for any reason. Haxoru will just take advantage of that." He shifted slowly. "We should go on ahead and convene with the other leaders so we can hear what they've planed.

Khamûl nodded. "I'll let the Harad leaders know what's going on and then I'll catch up with you," he said before he took flight.

Haryn rolled his eyes. "Show off," he muttered before he asked Moony to carry him over to the small gathering of men up ahead. He could hear the thud of hooves from Boromir's horse behind him signalling that the man was following him.

It was remarkable how calm the horses that the Dúnedain and Rohirrim rode were around Moony. He was a wolf after all. They were smart horses though. Maybe they could tell that he was no threat to them.

Haryn kept silent for the most part as the men spoke. He didn't see much reason to interrupt them when their plan was sound. They moved their army out in a half-moon before the black gate. It wasn't until they started speaking about challenging the Lord of Mordor that he opened his mouth and countered their arguments. "Father will attack from the inside. This will be the only way out for most of the forces in there. They will open the gate for us so all we need to do is await them. I have already sent an all clear to father. He will start their attack at any moment now," he said calmly. "We'll know when it happens. I doubt that the Nazgûl will stick around after that."

…

Sauron extended his mighty black wings. He was leading his people to war against the person who had started this whole mess. It wouldn't surprise him if it had been Haxoru that had initiated the wars with the elves so many years ago.

He led his people high – high enough that the smoke that billowed out from Orodruin hid their presence. Once in a while he sent a scout down to check were they were. He didn't want to have to retrace their flight because they didn't keep track of where they were.

"The volcano is right ahead Sauron-himon," the scout said as he came back. "If we start descending now we'll reach it at pretty good altitude."

Sauron nodded. He ordered the first faction of his troops to descend as they were mainly fire-based dragon-kin. Not all Shrāl worked best with fire. The ones who were based in other elements or whose powers did not lie in an element at all would protect the rest of them as they broke Orodruin down to the ground. He was hoping to be as invisible as possible until they had managed. It would get complicated if they had to fight as they were working on the mountain. He moved down with the main part of the guards, but rather than staying in the air, he joined the Shrāl that had landed on the mountainsides. "Concentrate on the mountain's fire and increase the heat until it melts through the stone. Then we pull more lava out if we need to," he told the Shrāl around him.

Closing his fiery eyes, the leader of the Shrāl grabbed his own fire and sent it out through his hands. He was going to help weaken the mountain itself together with the earth-based Shrāl that were spread out among their fire-based brethren. Their orders were to get out of there a soon as their job was done so they didn't get covered in lava.

Shrāl lifted from the mountain Maya among them. She turned in the air and looked down at their king. She knew that the mountain wouldn't be capable of taking much more before it… A faint glow started spreading in long broken lines along the mountain's sides. It grew stronger fast. Then suddenly the lines weren't just glowing. They were oozing down the mountain.

A low rumble tore through the ground beneath them.

"It's erupting," Maya said. She turned to the Shrāl around her. "Get higher or you'll get hit by the lava spray," she said.

…

Moony shifted his feet as a rumble tore through the ground beneath his paws. 'Something is happening in there,' he growled lowly.

Haryn nodded before turning to Khamûl. "We need to know what's going on in there," he told the man.

Spreading his wings, Khamûl flew up high enough to see over the gates. "The mountain is erupting," he called back down. His eyes widened as a tongue of lava shot up in the sky so high he was worried it had hit their people. He knew how Sauron worked well enough to know the basic plan even if he hadn't been there when it was made.

A shriek tore through the air as the big burning eye atop of Barad-dûr turned towards the fire mountain. The Nazgûl swiftly disappeared from their vantage points.

Haryn moved down from Moony's back. He ran over to the nearest mountainside and started climbing it. He could hear Boromir's voice asking him exactly what he thought he was up too. He pulled himself up on a flattened surface at the top of the mountain range before he started running towards the black gate.

Pulling in a deep breath, the raven let out a shrill screech. He could feel how the burning eye landed on him. He smirked. "Hey Uncle," he said. He raised an eyebrow as strange shapes moved out around him. Ghostly figures. They were talking to him, but he could not hear them. "It won't be that easy Uncle. My mind is stronger than that," he said humorously. "You should be more concerned about what father will do to you when he finds you."

A picture of two Shrāl showed up before him and he could see how the orange scaled one tore into the black scaled one with vigour killing the other man.

"You can know that for sure Uncle. Father is coming and he IS PISSED OFF AT YOU," Haryn said. He knew that the more illusions Haxoru sent his way the more power he wasted on nothing. He moved his gaze away from the eye and looked out over Mordor. It was coloured orange and yellow. Lava was covering everything for miles. He laughed, almost cackled, as he jumped down from the gate. The Orcs were coming.

"What were you thinking?" Khamûl said as he landed next to the raven.

"I bought father some time and made Haxoru waste a good deal of power on me," Haryn answered. His eyes widened suddenly as he threw his body back landing on his hands. One of the Nazgûl had returned. He had moved away on instinct which had saved him from the long broadsword the cloaked figure carried. Moving back to stand on his feet, he lifted his hands into a fighting pose. "Come on corrupted one," he chuckled. His hands started burning. "Fight me."

The sword tore through the air towards him, but Haryn just smiled. He moved swiftly and grabbed the blade with both hands pushing its tip down to the ground. Flames spread from his hands and out over the blade. Unlike when they had done so for Éowyn, the flames now melted the metal that they touched. The raven did stand around to wait for the Nazgûl to make another move instead he was moving himself. Long sharp claws tore through the shapes black cloak. It caught fire.

The Nazgûl grabbed the cloak and pulled it off as she dropped her sword. Her scales were strangely translucent. Once upon a time they had been a lush green colour. Her hair was tangled and her eyes were pitch-black. Her mind was no longer her own. She lifted her head and shrieked. Her voice made the horses in the half-moon shift nervously.

Haryn pulled in a deep breath but instead of roaring back at her he let out a cloud of black flames. He moved forwards through the fire and grabbed a hold of her neck. He could feel how her claws dug into his back as she struggled against him, but he would not let go. He shifted his hands slightly and let his claws dig into the soft skin of her throat. Twisting his hands slightly he ripped her throat open. Blood flowed down over his hands as she staggered back before her nerves realised that they were no longer connected to her brain. The body collapsed.

A grimace made its way to the raven's face. His back hurt. He wouldn't be surprised if her claws had been poisonous. He turned his head towards the gate as it started rumbling. _'Great,'_ he thought. He was not going to be running anytime soon. His head had started spinning. _'Definitely poisonous,' _he thought. Strong arms grabbed him and then the ground disappeared from under his feet. His head was swimming. There was just no way he could concentrate on anything.

A roar tore through the air.

…

Sauron pulled himself out of the flowing lava around him. His wings were glowing from the intense heat around him. He shrugged the lava that clung to his body off before spreading his wings. Flying back up, he could see that his people had moved out on their own accord. He knew they would do alright dealing with the lowlifes as long as he dealt with his brother. He made sure not to get caught in the gaze of the burning eye at the top of Barad-dûr. He didn't want Haxoru to know that he was coming not aware of the fact that his son had already told his Uncle.

He landed atop of the high tower. He could sense the presence of his brother. "Long time no see," he said softly as he turned around. His gaze met amber eyes. "You don't seem that surprised to see me nano-ka," he noted.

"No," Haxoru said. "If you had wanted that you should have had a better grip on that spawn of yours. He was nice enough to let me know that you were coming nano-hī." He moved away from the spire he'd been standing by. "He gave me enough time to create some really interesting surprises for you," he said with a superior smirk.

Sauron raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You have gotten better nano-ka," he said. "But not good enough to fool me." He ducked out of the way as a blade moved through the air where his head had been only moments earlier. His eyes widened as a hand grabbed him and a thick red smoke spread from Haxoru's mouth. He beat his wings and made his insides burn before letting out a fiery breath.

He felt a stab and then Haryn was fading from his mind. _'No,'_ he thought. Without thinking about it he grabbed the blade that his brother had aimed at him. Then he turned towards the man and roared. Anger filled him. His son was dying. He was going to tear the world apart. The fear and the agony he'd felt thousands of years earlier came back to him. It had been a lie then. The man before him had been the one to lie to him. **_"You are a dead man, Haxoru," _**he hissed. Fire spread out along his limbs. He was going to burn the man to a crisp. He didn't care if it killed him.

Haxoru stumbled back. He'd never seen his brother that angry. He faltered for just a second, and that was all that Sauron needed. The angry man moved forward swiftly and drew his mace from his side. Blood splattered over the ground. Haxoru stumbled back. _'Hurts,'_ he thought. The mace came down on him once more burning fiercely. It cut into his shoulder searing his flesh and cutting through his left subclavian vein making blood sprout out from his neck like a fountain before he collapsed to the ground. He took a last shaking breath. The air didn't reach his lungs. His amber eyes went lifeless as his heart stopped beating.

Sauron fell down on his knees. _'Haryn,'_ he thought desperately. _'Please bérren-ka…'_

…

Boromir watched as the iron-haired Shrāl carried Haryn through the air. When they got closer he asked, "What happened? Is he alright?" The young man's skin was pale, unnaturally so.

"He's been poisoned. I'll deal with that. You need to deal with the ones opening the gate," Khamûl said.

Boromir nodded slowly and raised his gaze to the black gate. The Shrāl was right the gate was opening. "This is it," he called back to his men. "If we win this we can go home and celebrate to our hearts content." He could hear the roar of his men. "For Gondor!" he roared.

And as the terrified Orcs made their way out of Udûn, Boromir and the other leaders of men led their armies towards the gate. Heads rolled once the men reached the confused Orcs. But more Orcs just kept flowing out through the gates.

What the men didn't know was that there where Shrāl coming up behind the Orcs forcing them forward.

A wild smile had spread over Boromir's face as he cut the gray-skinned Orcs down. He couldn't express the way he felt when he was in the middle of a battle. It was like nothing else. He passed by Aragorn and cut a head off to stop an Orc from attacking the man.

…

Khamûl had flown Haryn's unconscious body to the back of the army they had brought with them before placing him down gently. He grabbed the dark-blue top the teen was wearing and ripped it apart before turning the boy over. Several long gashes travelled over the raven's back. They were discoloured a sickly orange shade.

_'__Please don't be too late,'_ he thought desperately as he placed his hands against the wounds. The first thing he had to do was make certain that the poison didn't spread any further. Sweat started to drip down his face as he forced the poison back and out of the wound.

Everything was hazy. There was a vague scent of grass tickling at his senses. _'Whas goin on?'_ he wondered. There was a deep red rage pressing against his consciousness, and he tried to move away from the feeling. Pain flooded his body. A faint whimper escaped his lips. He wanted to get away from the pain. _'Make is stop,'_ he thought desperately.

Khamûl moved away from the raven as black flames started dancing around the deep gashes in the teen's back. The flames moved until they covered the boy hiding him from view.

Green eyes blinked open slowly. Everything was black. It took a while for his mind to connect to what he was doing. _'Fire,'_ he thought. _'Fire's nice… pretty… flames… burning,' _he thought absent-mindedly. He reached out and tried to touch the flames, but since he was the one burning, it didn't really work out. "Dada," he mumbled. "Dada where are you?" he asked. He reached out with his mind only to pull back. His father was angry. Slowly the pained teen's body curled up. "Dada angry," he mumbled.

"Haryn."

The raven tried to focus on the voice calling his name.

"Haryn."

"Khamûl," he mumbled, "dada's angry. Why's dada angry?"

Khamûl raised an eyebrow. "Is that so, Haryn-himon?" he said. "Could you stop burning please?" I need to take a look at your back and your fire is making that impossible."

Haryn blinked slowly as he processed what the man had told him. He looked down at one of his hands realising that he was actually the one controlling the fire there. He watched his fingers as he tried to make the fire go away. With how muddled his mind still was, it took him a little while to manage. He could feel cool hands touch him and roll him back onto his stomach. Fingers trailed over the wounds on his back and he hissed.

"The poison is gone now. It won't take me long to heal these," Khamûl said softly.

Haryn shuddered as the magic entered his wounds to close them. It felt cold, yet cold wasn't enough to explain what he felt. The haze that still clouded his mind didn't go away as the wounds healed though. He still felt like he couldn't focus on anything really. "We need to go see dada," he whispered. "Dada angry… dada sad."

"We can wait here for Sauron he…"

"NO… dada needs me… need to go to dada," Haryn said forcefully.

Khamûl sighed. He wasn't sure it was a good idea to bring Haryn with him into Mordor right now, but he knew how determined the teen could be. Reaching out, he lifted the boy up. He could feel how the raven's arms came up to wrap around his neck. Spreading his wings, he took to the sky carrying the raven in his arms. He'd barely reached the gate when he was met by Maya. The woman looked frantic which wasn't common for her. "What is wrong?" he asked her.

"It's Sauron-himon. He's gone crazy. Barad-dûr is covered in flames," Maya said frantically.

Khamûl closed his eyes and groaned softly. That would explain why Haryn insisted they'd go there. He picked up his speed as he headed over to the tower. He could hear Maya following behind him.

They stopped above the inferno looking down at the wild flames.

Khamûl hissed suddenly and then he could hear Maya scream as the weight he'd been carrying left him. Haryn was falling towards the flames below.

"What have you done?"

Khamûl looked at Maya with a terrified look gracing his face. "I… he made me drop him," he said as a hand went up to his neck were a line of red blood was dribbling down.

In the mean time Haryn was covering his body with his own fire once more. The ground beneath his feet burned him, but he wasn't going to stop walking. He was probably the only one who could stop his father. "Dada stop," he called out. Stumbling, he moved on through the flames. He needed to find his father. He tried desperately to increase the power of his own flames so they would protect him. Despite loving heat, his father's fire was actually burning through his scales and it hurt. He reached the centre of the fire and reached out. "Dada stop," he said as he wrapped his arms around the fiery mass that was his father. He whimpered and would have cried if that was possible right now. There just wasn't ant chance for tears to form in the heat that surrounded them.

Sauron felt another presence approach him. _'Go away,'_ he thought. He couldn't feel Haryn. His son was dead he didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't care what happened to anyone else. He was about to lash out at the person when a set of flaming black arms settled around him. "Haryn," he whispered. His rage induced inferno faltered and faded away. He shifted so his son fell into his lap as the boy fainted from the pain he felt. Sauron actually started crying as he saw the damage he'd done to his own bérren-ka. Distantly he could hear others landing on the tower, but he paid no attention to them. The only thing he did was shift slightly so Khamûl could get at Haryn's burns.

…

Boromir watched as the fire at the top of Barad-dûr died out. He smiled softly. It would seem like everything would be alright. He bent down and helped one of the Haradrim back on his feet before grabbing the man's arm and placing an arm around the man's waist so he could get him back to the main part of the army for treatment.

He had a feeling that they would not see the Shrāl again for now. Haryn had been injured and would probably be taken directly to Minas Morgul. A lot of work still lay before them. But everything would be alright now. He'd have to remember that they needed to pick the Hobbits up before returning to Minas Tirith. He dropped the Haradrim off by his kinsmen before walking over to Aragorn. It was better he told the man that they needed to pick the Hobbits up before he forgot about it. With so much going on who knew what could happen.

* * *

Haryn laughed as watched Imerall get attacked by Padfoot. The shaggy black dog had taken a liking to the dark-elf over the years. He reached over his shoulder and touched his back. It was itching something awful.

"Something the matter Haryn?" Imerall asked.

The raven smiled at his friend. "No just an itch that's all," he said reassuringly.

It was a few days latter when the raven wished he'd actually told someone about the itch by his shoulder blades. The itch had turned to pain. The pain had gotten worse and worse until he could no longer see straight. He had barricaded himself in his bedroom earlier that day. It meant that he now had to find someone who could help him. Stumbling out of bed and over to the door leading out of his room, he felt his head spin and wondered if what he'd had for lunch would make a return visit.

"Haryn-himon?"

The raven turned his head to the side and saw blue. "Maya… hurts… back," he managed to say before his body collapsed and he fell to the floor.

.

.

.

Something felt really strange to the raven as he woke up.

"… foolish boy should have let us know. I could have helped him with the pain," he heard Khamûl say irritably.

He was lying on his stomach.

He shifted slightly and a heavy weight shifted with him. _'What is that?'_ he wondered. It seemed to be attached to his back. A green eye opened slowly. The room was blurry at first, but after blinking several times to clear his vision, the raven could see that he was lying in his father's room. He shifted again and this time he could see the weight that shifted with him.

His brain short circuited for a moment before realisation hit him.

"I have wings," he mumbled.


End file.
